Children from a kindergarten in Rugao, Jiangsu province show their pickled meat on Dec 6. Under the guidance of their teachers, the children tried their hands at pickling meat. It is a local tradition to pickle vegetables on Minor Snow and pickle meat on Major Snow. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Major Snow (Chinese: 大雪), the 21st solar term of the year, begins this year on Dec 7 and ends on Dec 21. 

During Major Snow, the snow becomes heavy and begins to accumulate on the ground. The temperature drops significantly.