What is the custom of Xiaoman?

Imagine that whenever Xiaoman comes, the sky drops nectar. After a storm comes a calm, a beam of sunshine shines on the earth through thick dark clouds, surrounded by moist air and the fragrance of earth, as if everything is cheering. This is Xiaoman. Small and full, everything is close to fullness. So what does Xiaoman solar term mean and what is Xiaoman's custom?

The moral of Xiao Man

Xiaoman, one of the 24 solar terms, is the second solar term in summer. Xiaoman means that the seeds of summer crops are full, but not yet mature, just small and not yet full. May 20th to 22nd every year, depending on whether the sun reaches longitude 60? When it's full. Twenty-four solar terms: in mid-April, things are small and complete.

At this time, the seeds of summer sowing crops such as wheat in the north have begun to be full, but they are not yet mature, which is about the late stage of milk ripening, so it is called Xiaoman. Agricultural proverbs in southern China have given Xiaoman a new meaning: Xiaoman is dissatisfied and broken; Xiaoman is dissatisfied, and Mangzhong doesn't care. The word "full" is used to describe the amount of rain, and it is pointed out that if there is not enough water in the field when it is full, the ridge of the field may crack and even rice cannot be planted when it is planted.

What is the custom of Xiaoman?

Car god:

This is an ancient custom of Manchu in some rural areas. Legend has it that the car god is a white dragon. In Xiaoman season, people put fish, incense and other items on the waterwheel to worship, and there will be a glass of white water in the sacrifice. When worshipping, white water will be poured into the ground to bless the water source, hoping that it will rain more in the rainy season.

Silkworm sacrifice:

According to legend, Xiaoman is the birthday of the silkworm god, so when Xiaoman is in the solar term, there is a silkworm blessing festival in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. China's farming culture is a typical example of male farming and female weaving. The raw materials for women's weaving are mainly cotton in the north and silk in the south, from which China's rich silk comes. Silkworms need to cocoon and spin silk, so sericulture is extremely prosperous in rural areas in southern China.

Bitter vegetables:

Spring breeze blows, bitter vegetables grow, and wasteland is a granary. Bitter vegetables are one of the earliest edible wild vegetables in China. This bitter dish is mentioned in Compendium of Materia Medica: long-term administration, peace of mind and benefiting qi, intelligence and fitness, and anti-aging. In medicine, sowthistle is often used to treat fever, and the ancients also used it to sober up.