The story of the birth of solar terms

The 24 solar terms and their stories are as follows:

1, beginning of spring

Beginning of spring means the beginning of a new cycle, which is the beginning of everything and the meaning of all self-renewal. During the early spring, the temperature, sunshine and rainfall began to rise and increase. Beginning of spring is called the first month festival, the establishment of the Spring Festival, the beginning of a year and the beginning of a year. In this festival, there are ceremonies and activities to celebrate the Spring Festival. In ancient times, Hou Lichun wanted to put up "Yichun" spring stickers, bid farewell to old cloth, pray for the Spring Festival, and offer sacrifices to the Spring God and Tai Sui. When the Japanese were in beginning of spring, they had the custom of "beating cattle" and "biting spring", eating spring cakes, spring vegetables and radishes, commonly known as "beating spring" and "biting spring", also called "reporting spring". The day before was called "Spring Festival". ?

Step 2 rain

After the spring, the southeast wind began to blow and the rain began to increase. "Agricultural Book" said: "When the door refers to rain, the east wind thaws and the ice and snow disperse into water." After the rain, we began to plant trees. There are agricultural proverbs such as "Spring rain is as expensive as oil", "Winter spring rain is as expensive as oil, don't let a drop flow in vain", "A spring rain is warm, and an autumn rain is cold", "When there is no rain, it rains dry, so eat more noodles". Rain is a good time for fruit trees to be grafted. There is an agricultural proverb "Rain festival connects trees".

3. Shocked

The thorn symbolizes that the temperature rises, the weather gets warmer, and all kinds of animals that are dormant in the ground begin to wake up and creep. There is a saying in agriculture that "it rains early and the vernal equinox comes late, so it's just the right time to wake up the seedlings" and "the seeds are too scared to plant". On that day, I heard that the year was bumper, the weather was good, and the grain was plentiful. There are some folk sayings, such as "Lightning strikes Gu Mi", "Thunder strikes Remy like mud", "After the festival, the cultivated land should not be stopped", "Before the lightning strikes, the hills can be cultivated", "After the lightning strikes, beans can be planted in the river bend", "When the lightning strikes, the ground is full of water" and "The clouds are still and it is cold until May". ?

4. vernal equinox

At the vernal equinox, the direct point of the sun is on the equator, and then the direct point of the sun continues to move northward, so the vernal equinox is also called the "ascending equinox". In ancient times, it was also called "Japan-China", "Day and Night" and "Mid-spring Moon". The vernal equinox is an important solar term, which not only has astronomical significance: the northern and southern hemispheres are equally divided day and night, but also has obvious characteristics in climate. At the vernal equinox, theoretically, the world is as long as day and night (see the dawn). After the vernal equinox, the days in the northern hemisphere are getting longer and shorter, and the nights in the southern hemisphere are getting shorter and shorter.

At the vernal equinox, there are no extreme days and nights in the world. After the vernal equinox, it began to be extremely daytime near the North Pole, and its scope gradually expanded. Near the Antarctic, the extreme day ends and the extreme night begins, and the scope gradually expands. When the vernal equinox comes, the climate is mild, the rain is abundant and the sun is shining. Winter crops in most parts of China enter the spring growth stage, which is also the sowing time of early rice.

On the vernal equinox, there is a folk custom of laying eggs vertically. Tens of millions of people around the world are doing "vertical egg" experiments. How this toy, called "China Custom", became a "world game" is still difficult to verify. However, the game is simple and interesting: choose a smooth and symmetrical fresh egg that has just been born for four or five days, gently stand it up and put it on the table.

Although there are many losers, there are also many winners. The vernal equinox has become the best time for vertical egg games, so there is a saying that when the vernal equinox arrives, the eggs will be beautiful. The eggs that stand up are very beautiful. In the Lingnan area of China, there is a custom called "eating spring vegetables at the vernal equinox". "Spring vegetable" is a kind of wild amaranth, also known as "Artemisia annua".

5. Qingming

Qingming, fresh air and lush vegetation are good seasons for planting plants. There are some agricultural proverbs, such as "Tomb-Sweeping Day will plant sorghum in ten days", "Tomb-Sweeping Day will have a close rain, and the sowing season is just around the corner", "Before and after Tomb-Sweeping Day, point melons and plant beans" and "Tomb-Sweeping Day will feed good materials (fertilizer) and fine seedlings will grow well". Cloudy days and rainy days are forbidden in Tomb-Sweeping Day. The weather is fine and the harvest is good. There are some sayings, such as "The willow will shine on Qingming, and the dog will die in the nest", "It will be sunny on Qingming, and it will be dark in Grain Rain", and "Eat more noodles when there is no rain on Qingming". It is generally believed that being unclear is a sign of famine.

There is a northwest wind in Qingming, which is the main drought. There is a saying that "the northwest wind in Qingming Festival will not be light when it is dry", but there is also a saying that "the harvest is good from the south wind in Qingming Festival". Rain on sunny nights is not good for wheat. As the saying goes, "Wheat in the Four Seasons is not afraid of water, but it will rain overnight."

"Huainanzi Astronomical Training" records that it was sunny and windy on the fifteenth day after the vernal equinox when the handle of the Big Dipper pointed to the second position. "Qingming is the solar term of spring, and spring is the beginning of the four seasons and the season of agricultural sowing. There is a folk saying about "planting melons and beans" around Qingming Festival. On this day in Tomb-Sweeping Day, it is an ancient custom for people to go for an outing to sweep graves in the suburbs. Agriculture is the main business of traditional society. If you want to have a good harvest in agriculture, you should not only pray for good weather, but also ask your ancestors to bless you. Therefore, the tradition of the Spring Festival gradually formed during the Qingming period.

6. Grain Rain

Grain Rain is around April 20th of the Gregorian calendar year, when the sun reaches 30. Generally, the weather is getting warmer, the frost and snow are broken, and the rainfall is also increasing, which is an important season for sowing. Autumn crops such as sorghum and corn have been planted, and there are sayings that "Grain Rain seedlings grow in summer sowing" and "Grain Rain wheat is pregnant". In addition, it doesn't rain in Grain Rain, which is also a sign of famine. People should avoid it. There are some common sayings, such as "Qingming, dark Grain Rain", "Qingming, rain in Grain Rain" and "When Grain Rain arrives, cuckoo calls, the first three days are called drought, and the last three days are called flooding". After the rain, I began to grind the fields. "Don't grind the fields in March, but beat the wheat in the soil."

7. Long summer

Long summer is the beginning of summer. When wheat fully heads, it begins to blossom and grow. At this time, all kinds of migratory birds entered the country one after another and continued to sow autumn crops. As the agricultural proverb says, "There are small valleys and big mangoes in long summer." Avoid no rain and no wind in summer There is a saying that it doesn't rain in summer, and drought is the main reason. For example, "it doesn't rest in summer, and drought comes to wheat", "it doesn't rest in summer, and the plow hangs high" and "the east wind blows in summer, and the drugstore closes". Long summer is a rainy season.

In the coastal areas of China, there is a folk custom of "breaking eggs" on the day of long summer. At noon that day, every household had to boil eggs. Boil eggs in shells, don't break them. Soak them in cold water for a few minutes, then put on a woven silk bag and hang it around the child's neck. Children will play egg-beating games in groups of three or five. An egg has two heads, the pointed one is the head and the round one is the tail. When you beat eggs, the head of the egg hits the head of the egg and the tail of the egg hits the tail of the egg. Fight one by one, the loser gives up, and finally the high and low are separated. The winner of the egg head is the first, and the egg is king; The winner of the egg is the second place, and the egg is called Xiao Wang or Er Wang.

8. Xiaoman

Xiaoman, farmers bought farm furniture, made preparations before harvesting wheat, and began to interplant late autumn crops. There are some agricultural proverbs, such as "Teenagers are not satisfied, teenagers are not busy", "Do it before it is ripe on the 18th", and "Plant food when you are full and suppress the Man Cang family". ? [32]?

On the day of Xiaoman, there is a custom of "grabbing water" and "offering sacrifices to the car god". In the old society, irrigation and drainage with waterwheels was an important event in rural areas. As the saying goes, "Little people move three cars (three cars refer to silk cars, oil cars and water wheels)." Start the waterwheel when it is full. Previously, farmers held a "water grab" ceremony in the village. "Sacrificing the car god" is also an ancient custom in rural areas. It is said that "Car God" is a white dragon. In front of the water, farmers put fish, incense sticks and other sacrifices on the car seat. What is special is that there is a cup of white water in the sacrifice, which is poured into the field during the sacrifice, which means wishing the water source flourish. These customs show that farmers attach importance to irrigation and drainage.

9. Miscanthus

In typical summer, the weather is quite hot, and crops with awns such as wheat are ripe. Summer harvest, summer sowing and Shimonoseki are collectively called "three summers". On this day, people have the custom of "sending flowers to the gods" in their leisure and busy time. According to the old saying, after the ear planting festival, when the fragrant flower shakes off and the flower god abdicates, the world will solemnly bid her farewell to show its gratitude. From this, we can see that the ancients were close to nature and showed sensitivity and attention to ecology.

10, summer solstice

Summer solstice is a very important solar term in agriculture. As the temperature rises, the weather becomes hot, and it is forbidden to rain. There is a saying that "a barren valley grows rotten wheat." "Spring is for the sun, summer is for time, and it is not too late to plow and weed." In the third year, the summer solstice fell into an ambush, which lasted for 30 or 40 days, and it fell in the middle and the end respectively. Stay for ten days at a time and stay for twenty days in the middle. The summer solstice is the day when the sun is in the highest position in the sky. There is a folk saying that "the summer solstice is born in the shade".

In fact, strictly speaking, "solar terms" reflect the laws of seasons, phenology and climate changes, while "Yin-Yang and Five Elements" belong to the category of "branches", and the growth and decline of "Yin-Yang" is based on "branches". The summer solstice is in midsummer, that is, at noon, belonging to the sun. There is no doubt that the sun shines on the summer solstice, but the sun does not necessarily shine in the afternoon. The specific day when the sun shines is calculated according to the stem and branch.

On the day of summer solstice, the sun directly reaches the northernmost part of the year, almost directly to the Tropic of Cancer (23 26' north latitude), and the daytime in the northern hemisphere reaches the longest, and the farther north it is, the longer it is. Although the summer solstice has the longest day and the highest sun angle, it is not the hottest time of the year. Because, close to the surface of the heat, at this time still continue to save, did not reach the maximum time.

1 1, Xiaoshu

The weather is getting hotter and hotter in summer, and the crops are growing well when the flood season comes. It is necessary to strengthen the management of autumn crops. Can plow the fields, the agricultural proverb has "plant mung beans before and after summer heat." There are some common sayings to avoid drought in summer, such as "June is afraid of drought, September is afraid of flooding", "June is dry, so drink porridge", "June needs rain, August needs sunny", "summer mud in the pit, south wind dried for 18 days", "There is no rain in the rain, and there is no rice in the valley".

12, great summer

The summer heat is the highest temperature period in a year, which is in the middle. Millet leaves and soybean sheds should be protected against insects, drought and flood. There are "March 9 is cold and it is hot in the dog days", "It is not hot in the dog days, and the whole grain will not bear fruit", "Small summer kills mice", "Small summer is not hot, and big summer overwhelms grass and fertilizer", "It rains overhead and it rains in the dog days", "It rains in the dog days, and there are many kinds of wheat", and "There is plenty of food in beginning of autumn in the summer. There are also sayings such as "Liv takes nine miles" and "Winter disease is cured in summer". [32]

In Taizhou Bay, Zhejiang Province, there is a custom of "sending a summer boat". Sending a summer boat is a folk custom in Jiaojiang, Zhejiang. During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, epidemics often occurred here, especially in the hot summer. People think that this is caused by the five evil spirits, so they built five shrines on the riverside, and even on the day of the Summer Festival, they sent offerings to Jiaojiangkou with special wooden boats. The meaning is obvious, that is, send away the plague and pray for peace.

13, beginning of autumn

Beginning of autumn, when autumn begins, it is in the dog days. There is a saying that "Qiu Lai's dog hasn't left", but the weather is still hot and unbearable, and it is called "autumn tiger". Farming has the saying that "it is autumn and the hoe hook has been hung", which means that crops are no longer hoed; There are also "Let autumn stop, and everything will rest" and "beginning of autumn will plant sesame seeds without flowering and dying of old age", which means that we can't plant any more crops at this time. However, at this time, we should sow shallots, cultivate young shallots and transplant them in the next spring. Spinach, vegetables and coriander can also be planted. Beginning of autumn is a major solar term for local farmers, and it is also the season when crops are approaching maturity. "Red everywhere in the early autumn of three days" means that sorghum ears turn red and mature. In early autumn, thunder, rain and windy are taboo every day. As the saying goes, "more thunder and less rain, half harvest in one night", "north wind before autumn, rain after autumn, north wind after autumn".

14, hot summer

As soon as summer is over, it will be cold and the hot weather will be over. There are agricultural proverbs: "Don't plant fields in summer until the next year" and "Don't plant autumn and don't harvest", but buckwheat can be planted. As the saying goes, "Buckwheat should not be so fat in summer". "The valley turns yellow in summer, so be careful of the strong wind."

In the summer around July 15th of the lunar calendar, there will be folk activities to celebrate the Central Plains, usually called "July 30" or "Central Plains Festival". Taiwan Province Province has the custom of "worshipping good brothers" at this time.

15, Millennium

White dew, Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather turns cold, the dew turns white at night, and sorghum and early corn begin to harvest. There are some agricultural proverbs, such as "the white dew plants high mountains, and the cold dew plants plain rivers (wheat)", "When there is no rain in the white dew, you should get up early to plow the fields", "The autumn harvest will be another bumper harvest year" and "The first day of August will be sprinkled for a while, and the drought will end in May of the following year".

16, autumnal equinox

The autumnal equinox is half that of autumn. After that, the northern hemisphere became shorter and the nights became longer. After the autumnal equinox, it is the busiest period in autumn. We should not only send manure to plow the fields, but also actively prepare for sowing wheat and harvesting in autumn. Agricultural proverbs include "dew in the morning and cold dew in the evening, planting wheat in the autumn wind", "Rooting at the autumnal equinox", "Bending in autumn is not as good as turning around in spring", "The first day of the first lunar month can't wait for thirteen days, and winter can't wait for thirteen days", "A year's hard work lies in autumn, and it's not a good harvest if food doesn't enter the house"?

Before and after the autumnal equinox, the change of the brightness of the moon will directly predict the quality of the next year. As the saying goes, "Looking up to the sky early on July 15th is better than casting lots to ask the immortals; : The moonlight shines on the clouds, and the years are good. The moon will collapse at dawn, and there will be no food next year. "

On the autumnal equinox, it is a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "the sun is sacrificed in spring and the moon is sacrificed in autumn". Mid-Autumn Festival is a relic of ancient celestial worship-the custom of worshipping the moon. In modern society, Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. According to research, "Mid-Autumn Festival" was originally set on the day of "Autumn Equinox". However, due to the different dates of August in the lunar calendar, it may not always be a full moon. Later, the Mid-Autumn Festival moved from the autumnal equinox to the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

Sacrificing the moon is a very old custom in China, and it is actually a worship activity of the ancients to the "Moon God". In ancient times, in some parts of Guangdong, people had the custom of Yue Bai on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon at night is to worship the moon god. Set up a big incense table and offer sacrifices such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums and grapes. Under the moon, put the "Luna God" tablet in the direction of the moon, and the red candle burns high. The whole family took turns in Yue Bai to pray.

17, cold dew

Cold dew, entering the cold dew, the climate obviously turns cold, and it feels cold at night. There are some agricultural proverbs, such as "How can a cold dew not cut grain", "How can a cold dew not cut onions until winter", "Snakes hit seven inches, crops grow solar terms", "Busy at three o'clock in the morning, strong at three o'clock" and "Cut cold dew and hit the first frost". The cold dew solar terms have a pleasant climate, which is very suitable for mountaineering. The custom of climbing slowly on the Double Ninth Festival has become the custom of the cold dew season.

18, first frost

The first frost is famous for its cold weather and dew forming thin frost. The first frost is frost-free, and there will be famine next year. There are some agricultural proverbs, such as "The first frost is frosty, and the rice is in Man Cang", "When there is no frost in October, plant a bag of chaff", "When there is moisture, you can't wait for moisture", "The plow should be planted in the ground before beginning of winter at the latest" and "Before and after ploughing, only one ear is needed".

In Xia Lei Town, China, there is a "Zhuang First first frost Festival". Its origin is related to the legend of baking bread and celebrating harvest in Xia Lei.

19, beginning of winter

Beginning of winter means the coming of winter, and the sun crosses the Yellow River at 225. In ancient times, there was a saying that "winter is the end", which means harvesting crops after harvest. There is a saying that "beginning of winter's cultivated land can increase the nutrients in the soil" and "the deep ploughing in winter will produce gold". It is forbidden to eat cold food, such as radish and fruit, in winter, otherwise it will damage your health. Beginning of winter takes shelter from the rain, as the saying goes, "It's sunny in Chongyang, sunny in beginning of winter and sunny in beginning of winter", "Men don't forget to brake the ground in autumn, and women don't forget to spin flowers at night", and "Frozen cowbells ring, radish and cabbage grow".

20, xiaoxue

"Light snow", the temperature dropped and the snow began to drift. Start the capital construction of farmland water conservancy, repair roads and carry out sideline activities. There are some agricultural proverbs, such as "every household is dirt", "building ditches and dams is not afraid of drought", "building ditches and ponds ensures a good harvest every year" and "building water is a win-win situation".

Eating Ciba in light snow is a traditional custom in Jiangnan water town of China. At this time of year, adults and children will talk about: what date? There are still a few days to go to Xiaoxue. Whose glutinous rice has been ground and whose is still hanging in the field? At this time, the children are very excited and feel like Chinese New Year.

2 1, heavy snow

Heavy snow is famous for freezing weather and heavy snow. "Xue Rui is a good year." "McGetty has three beds (heavy snow), and the headrest is steaming." Farming activities continued to focus on building water conservancy projects, repairing roads and canals, and began to grind flour, produce vermicelli and dried noodles, and engaged in commercial management and commodity production. There is an agricultural proverb that says "the fields are clean, five ditches should be dug" and "the thin land should be harvested, and deep ditches should be dug in winter". ?

There are some common sayings, such as "No snow is seen in the heavy snow, no wheat will be harvested in the coming year", "No snow this year, no good harvest in the coming year", "No snow, no good harvest, no less wheat". In the snowy season, it is freezing. What impresses people most is the legend of "Hao Han Bird".

22. Solstice in winter

On the solstice of winter, the sun shines directly to the south and returns to the line, which is the ninth day of the day. Since then, the weather has gradually turned cold. There is a song "Winter 999 Song": "1929, Mense closed the gate, chickens and dogs froze to death in 3949, watched willows along the river in 5969, opened the river in 79, and swallows came in 89, plowing cattle everywhere." In agricultural production, in addition to continuing to do a good job in antifreeze and fertilizer accumulation, we should also pay attention to the safety of people and animals in winter. "After eating the winter solstice rice (ginger rice), a line grows in one day", and the days will gradually become longer. There is no rain on the solstice in winter. As the saying goes, "beginning of winter sees no rain on the winter solstice, and there is no snow on the winter solstice."

The solstice in winter has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is not only a natural solar term, but also a traditional festival to worship ancestors. Winter solstice is one of the four seasons and eight festivals. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has a tradition of offering sacrifices to ancestors from the winter solstice to the sun to show filial piety and not forgetting the roots. Due to different local customs and habits, the forms of ancestor worship are also different. In some places, while offering sacrifices to ancestors, they also offer sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth. The offerings mainly include three sacrifices, three teas and five wines. The solstice in winter is considered as a big holiday in winter. The saying that the solstice in winter is as big as a year is widely circulated among the people. Winter solstice is also called "sub-year" and "off-year", which means that a year is coming, and winter solstice is very important.

23, slight cold

Slight cold, cold weather, "slight cold and great cold, dripping into a ball", "slight cold frozen soil, great cold frozen river" ? Plum blossom is the first flower letter of the slight cold solar term, and it has been an eternal theme praised by poets since ancient times. Yongmei's poetry originated in the Six Dynasties, rose in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, flourished in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and remained in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. These poems either describe the quality of plum blossoms, or describe the charm of Yongmei, or paint the charm of plum blossoms, or sing the feelings of plum blossoms. Most of them are novel in conception, and they use plum blossoms that stand proudly in frost and snow and are not afraid of cold to express the noble sentiment of the author who is not afraid of violence, dares to struggle and dares to win.

24. Great cold

Great cold, the coldest time of the year, is in December of the lunar calendar, preparing for the Spring Festival, "slight cold, great cold, killing pigs for the New Year". ? In the cold solar terms, there is a very important day for northerners-Laba, which is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. On this day, people cook a pot of sweet and delicious "Laba porridge" with whole grains, peanuts, chestnuts, red dates and lotus seeds.