Poetic words to use for gomei in the month of December or winter in general:
- Oo-yuki, taisetsu (大雪): heavy snow
- Touji (冬至): winter solstice
- Rouhatsu (臘八): the Zen name for the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, now celebrated on December 8th, the day on which the Buddha became enlightened
- Fuyugodachi (冬木立): barren trees in winter
- Fuyugomori (冬篭): hibernation; staying indoors during winter
- Tanjitsu (短日): the short days of winter
- Kogarashi (木枯し): cold, wintry wind
- Toujigayu (冬至粥): azuki bean rice gruel eaten on the day of the winter solstice (to chase away demons that spread contagious diseases)
- Toujikabocha (冬至南瓜): custom of keeping a pumpkin or squash during the winter and eating it on the day of the winter solstice
- Hatsugo’ori (初氷): first ice of winter
- Usugo’ori (薄氷): thin ice
- Hyouka (氷花): literally “ice flowers,” but referring to water that freezes on trees and other plants, making them look like they have white flowers made of ice (it’s worth doing a Google image search of this word, as it’s a beautiful phenomenon)
- Kazabana (風花): winter wind which brings scattered snowflakes or raindrops
