November 22nd marks the beginning of the 20th of the 24 Chinese Solar Terms. This Solar Term is known as ‘Slight Snow’ or ‘Minor Snow’ (xiǎoxuě 小雪), and its beginning coincides with the beginning of the Western sign of Sagittarius, that is, the 240th degree of the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun over the course of a year).
This coincidence is normal, since both the Chinese Solar Terms and the Western Zodiac are based on the yearly apparent path of the Sun along the ecliptic against the background of stars.
‘Slight Snow’ is the second Solar Term related to winter, since, according to the ancient Chinese calendar, the cosmic ‘winter’ (dōngtiān 冬天) actually begins around November 8th, with the Winter Solstice (around December 22nd in the northern hemisphere) being seen as the culmination of the season rather than its beginning.
One must consider that the 24 Solar Terms were conceived and developed in northern China in remote times, before the Qin 秦 dynasty (221–207 BC).
Like the Solar Term that precedes it, ‘Slight Snow’ belongs to the ‘month of the Pig’ (the popular designation for the month dominated by the Terrestrial Branch hài 亥, from November 8th to December 6th, approximately).
