Small Seasons

Rain waters. Snow melts away, mist lingers in the air, and grasses begin to sprout. Trees release their first buds as the ground fills with water. 🌧

Start of spring. Fish appear in icy ponds and the bush warblers start singing in the mountains. 🐟

Big cold. Temperatures drop low and the chill deepens. Ice thickens on the streams. Hens huddle together and begin laying eggs. 🐔

Little cold. Winter chills start as the temperature quickly drops. Pheasant calls can be heard in the forest 🌡

Winter solstice. When days are the shortest in the whole year. Deer in the mountains shed their antlers, and wheat sprouts rest underneath the snow. 🌑

Big snow. The cold sets in. Bears are hibernating in their dens, and the salmon have swam upstream. Nature is quiet. 💤

Little snow. Light snowfall appears. Northern winds have blown the last leaves from the trees. 🌨

Start of winter. When the winter season starts. Land begins to freeze, rivers and streams shortly to follow. ❄️

Frosting. The first frosts. Rains disappear as the maple leaves and ivy turn yellow. 🍂

Cold dew. Temperatures begin dropping. The geese return for the winter. Crickets chirp for the last time in the year. 🏏

Autumnal equinox. Day and night are of equal length. Farmers drain their fields and insects hide underground. 🐛

White dew. When drops of dew can be seen on the grass. Swallows leave for the year, and the wagtails sing. 💦

Lessening heat. The heat of summer has been forgotten. The rice has ripened and cotton flowers are in bloom. 🌾

Start of autumn. The first signs of autumn can be seen. Cooler winds blow, and thick fogs roll through the hills in the morning. 💨

Big heat. Summer heat is at its strongest. The air is thick and humid and the trees are busy making seeds. 🔥

Little heat. The summer heat begins. Warm winds blow, lotus' blossom, and young hawks are learning to fly. 🏖

Reaching summer. The longest days of the year. The sun reaches its highest point, accompanied by mist and rains. A sweet woodsy dryness hangs in the air. Irises bloom and crow-dippers start to sprout. ☀️

Seeds and cereals. The time of year when people start to seed the soil. Praying mantises hatch. Rotten grass become home to fireflies. The plums become more yellow. 🌱

Little blossoming. When flowers and plants start to come out. Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves, and the safflower workers start their picking. Wheat begins to ripen. 🌺

Start of summer. The songs of summer begin. Frogs start their singing, and birds chirp in the forests. Worms surface from underground, bamboo shoots begin to sprout. 🐸

Rain for harvests. Reeds sprout by the rivers and rice seedlings grow in the fields after the last frost has passed. Peonies bloom in the wilderness. 🐦

Clear and bright. Shortly after the equinox, when the swallows return home and the geese fly north. The first rainbows of the season appear. 🌈

Vernal equinox. When winter is gone and spring starts. Sparrows begin to nest in the trees. Cherry blossoms start to bloom. Heavy rains bring distant thunder. 🌸

Going-out of the insects. That time of year when the first bugs surface from their hibernation. Caterpillars start their transformation to butterflies. 🦋

Rain waters. Snow melts away, mist lingers in the air, and grasses begin to sprout. Trees release their first buds as the ground fills with water. 🌧

Start of spring. Fish appear in icy ponds and the bush warblers start singing in the mountains. 🐟

Big cold. Temperatures drop low and the chill deepens. Ice thickens on the streams. Hens huddle together and begin laying eggs. 🐔

Little cold. Winter chills start as the temperature quickly drops. Pheasant calls can be heard in the forest 🌡

Winter solstice. When days are the shortest in the whole year. Deer in the mountains shed their antlers, and wheat sprouts rest underneath the snow. 🌑

Big snow. The cold sets in. Bears are hibernating in their dens, and the salmon have swam upstream. Nature is quiet. 💤