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大寒是二十四节气中最后一个节气，每年1月20日前后太阳到达黄经300°时为“大寒”。大寒，是天气寒冷到极点的意思。《授时通考·天时》引《三礼义宗》:“大寒为中者大寒，上形于，故谓之大……寒气之逆极，故谓大寒。”
英文版大寒的由来和风俗
大寒时节，由于寒潮向南移动，天气变得十分严寒。据现代气象观测显示，大寒时，中国一些地区并不比小寒时寒冷，但在某些沿海地区，全年最低温度依然出现在大寒期间。
During Major Cold, as the cold current moves southward, the weather becomes bitterly cold. Although modern meteorological observation shows that in some regions of China the weather during Major Cold is not colder than Minor Cold, the lowest temperatures of the whole year still occur in the Major Cold period in some coastal areas.
在中国的一些地区，大寒时人们经常争相去买芝麻秸，因为有句老话讲：“芝麻开花节节高”，这句话常被用来描述生活水平的不断提高，或思想、学习、技能方面的稳步提升。
In some areas of China, people always fall over each other in eagerness to buy sesame straw during this period because of the old saying, "Rise joint by joint like sesame flowers on the stem." This saying is used to describe either ever-rising living standards or making steady progress in thought, studies or skills.
消寒糕的主要原料是糯米，其含糖量比大米高，可使人感到全身暖和。汉语中“年糕”和“年高”发音相同，寓意着吉祥如意、年年高升。
Sticky rice, the cake's major ingredient, contains more sugar than rice, which can make people feel warm all over their bodies. In Chinese, the word "rice cake" has the same pronunciation with the word "higher in a new year", which symbolizes good luck and continual promotion.
大寒节气的特点
大寒节气雨量增加、防寒防冻
常年大寒节气，中国南方大部分地区雨量仅较前期略有增加，华南大部分地区为5至10毫米，西北高原山地一般只有1至5毫米。华南冬干，越冬作的这段时间耗水量较小，农田水分供求矛盾一般并不突出。
不过“苦寒勿怨天雨雪，雪来遗到明年麦”。在雨雪稀少的情况下，不同地区按照不同的耕作习惯和条件，适时浇灌，对小麦作物生长无疑是大有好处的。这时期寒潮南下频繁，是我国大部地区一年中的相当冷时期，农业上要加强牲畜和越冬作物的防寒防冻。