Li Chun (立春), 2025

I’m writing this short note on the winter solstice, the day when the sun reaches its southernmost position in the sky before making an about-turn to start its trek northwards. In the northern hemisphere, today marks the shortest day of the year—though here in the tropics, we barely notice the difference.

When the sun reaches this southernmost point, the winter solstice, Chinese astrologers recognise the occasion as the beginning of the solar term known as Dong Zhi (冬至), or Tang Chik as we Hokkien people in Penang call it. I’ve written before about solar terms and how ancient Chinese astrologers divided the sky into 24 segments, covering all 360 degrees of the heavens. Each solar term spans 15 degrees, reflecting the rhythm of seasonal changes, as the sun journeys northward and southward each year, passing through every one of them.

Forty-five days after the winter solstice comes the solar term known as Li Chun (立春) or the Coming of Spring. We call this day Jip Chun in Penang Hokkien. For 2025, Li Chun falls on the third of February at 10:12 PM, Malaysian local time. At that precise moment, many households will ceremonially fill their rice buckets to symbolise abundance and prosperity for the year ahead. Incidentally, this date coincides with the sixth day of Chinese New Year—a coincidence with no deeper connection other than tradition. Nevertheless, on this day, the local Chinese folks in Penang flock to the small and rather unassuming Snake Temple in Sungai Kluang—located about five kilometres from Bayan Lepas town, which my grandparents called Bang Ka Lan (萬腳蘭)—to celebrate the birthday of the temple’s resident deity, Chor Soo Kong.

By the way, I've been writing consistently about Jip Chun in this blog since Year 2007 and if anyone wants to find the historical dates and time, the information is all here:

Li Chun, 2024 
Li Chun, 2023 
Li Chun, 2022 
Li Chun, 2021 
Li Chun, 2020 
Li Chun, 2019 
Li Chun, 2018 
Li Chun, 2017 
Li Chun, 2016 
Li Chun, 2015 
Li Chun, 2014 
Li Chun, 2013 
Li Chun, 2012 
Li Chun, 2011 
Li Chun, 2010 
Li Chun, 2009 
Li Chun, 2008 
Li Chun, 2007

#lichun #snaketemple