Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - The 24 Solar Terms - What practical value does the 24 solar terms have for today's modern society?

What practical value does the 24 solar terms have for today's modern society?

The twenty-four solar terms originated from the observation of astronomy and astronomical phenomena by ancient Chinese people. As early as more than 2,700 years ago, the ancients observed the change of the length of day and night by erecting a pole on the ground, and established a winter solstice and a summer solstice with equal division of day and night. "From the thoughtful Qin Dynasty, the ancients regarded winter as the beginning of the year. In a long historical period, the winter solstice festival is an important national festival, and there are various folk activities, such as celebrating the New Year and offering sacrifices to the Spring and Autumn Period. Besides the winter solstice and summer solstice, the vernal equinox and autumn equinox are further defined, thus defining the "four seasons". By 132 BC, the book Huainanzi had a complete description of the 24 solar terms. "Ancient Babylonian culture and Mayan culture are divided into two solar terms, and only China carefully divided the 24 solar terms." The ancients in China divided the trajectory of the first anniversary of the sun into 24 equal parts, each of which was a "solar term". The twenty-four solar terms roughly correspond to 12 months in a year, with an average of two solar terms per month. The ancients believed that this change was a kind of "qi", and the first day of each month was "festival", which was called "solar term"; The last one is Zhong, which is called Zhong Qi, so there are 12 and 12 sections every year. Professor Tan said that by observing the annual movement of the sun and the changes of the moon's profit and loss, the ancients gradually understood and mastered the changing laws of the four seasons and climate in a year, and then summed up the 24 solar terms, forming a complete knowledge system and forming a scientific and rigorous calendar culture and meteorological culture to guide the production and life practice of agricultural society.