Frost Descent · FFET10326
Eating persimmons at Frost's Descent
Persimmons ripen around Frost's Descent; many southern regions eat persimmons, and some people in Fuzhou eat dried persimmon cakes.
The last term of autumn: dew turns to frost and leaves fall
Eating persimmons at Frost's Descent is the custom of eating ripe persimmons or dried persimmon cakes at that solar term. A 2022 account records the custom in many southern regions; some people in Fuzhou eat persimmon cakes then. A 2025 report records a persimmon-cake lesson at a Frost's Descent event in Suzhou. The pun between shi, persimmon, and shi, affairs, expresses the wish that all affairs go smoothly.
What
Eating persimmons at Frost's Descent means eating persimmons at that solar term, either ripe fresh fruit or dried persimmon cakes.1,4
When
At Frost's Descent, persimmons are fully ripe, thin-skinned and sweet. Accounts appeared in 2022 and 2024; the latter calls eating persimmons an old custom of the term but does not specify when it began.1,3
Where
The custom spans many southern regions, including Quanzhou and southern Fujian, where people eat persimmons at Frost's Descent; some people in Fuzhou eat persimmon cakes then.1,4
How
People eat ripe persimmons or dried persimmon cakes. Some in Fuzhou eat the cakes because they taste good after frost. A report dated October 24, 2025 records a persimmon-cake lesson at a Frost's Descent event on Canglang Street in Suzhou.1,2,4
Why
Persimmons ripen at this time. Shi, persimmon, sounds like shi, affairs; the expression shi shi shi shun uses this pun to convey the wish that all affairs go smoothly.1,2,3
Impact and influence
Local events include the custom: a 2025 Frost's Descent event on Canglang Street in Suzhou included a class on making persimmon cakes.2
No tale about this food has been found.