What solar term is the vernal equinox?

The spring equinox is the fourth solar term.

The vernal equinox begins on March 20th (or 2 1) and ends on April 4th (or 5th) every year. At the vernal equinox, the bucket handle of the Big Dipper points due east, and the sun reaches 0 degrees of the yellow meridian. The festival will be held on March 20th or March 2nd1day of the Gregorian calendar. The solar term of vernal equinox usually refers to a certain period of time, that is, the sun is located between 0 and 15 of the yellow longitude, that is, from March 20 to April 5 of the Gregorian calendar. In ancient times, the vernal equinox was also called "Japan-China", "Day and Night Equinox" and "Midspring Moon". Because the sun shines directly on the equator on this day, the days in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere are as long as the nights.

In the traditional method of dividing the four seasons in China, "Li Si" in the 24 solar terms is regarded as the starting point of the four seasons, and "Colorful" and "Erzhi" are regarded as the midpoint. The four seasons in the west are divided into two parts and two solstices as the starting point of the four seasons, such as spring as the starting point and summer solstice as the end point. Western countries are located at higher latitudes, far from the intersection of Huangchi. Taking "one divided into two" as the starting point of the four seasons can better reflect the local climate than "four stands".

The custom of vernal equinox:

As the name implies, spring vegetables are spring vegetables. In Lingnan area, there is a custom of eating spring vegetables at the vernal equinox. "Spring vegetable" is a kind of wild amaranth, which villagers call "Artemisia chun". On the vernal equinox, the whole village went to pick spring vegetables. When searching in the wild, it is often green and thin, about the length of a palm. Picked spring vegetables are usually boiled with fish fillets at home, which is called "spring soup".

At the vernal equinox, there is a custom of flying kites among women and children in China, and there is also a saying in folk proverbs that "shepherd's purse is not fresh after eating it". In Lingnan area, the "vernal equinox" has the custom of eating spring vegetables. In China, there is also a folk proverb "When the vernal equinox comes, the eggs are beautiful". Every spring equinox, tens of millions of people all over the world are doing experiments in the game of "vertical eggs".