The moral of long summer

The moral of long summer is to bid farewell to spring and welcome summer.

Long summer is the seventh solar term among the twenty-four solar terms and the first solar term in summer. The festival is held every year from May 5th to May 7th in the Gregorian calendar. Establishment means establishment and beginning. "Xia" means "big" in the old saying. Everything grew up and was named Changxia. The moral of long summer is to bid farewell to spring and formally welcome summer.

In the long summer, everything is thriving. After the long summer, the sunshine increased, gradually warming, and thunderstorms increased. Long summer is an important solar term, marking the peak season for the growth of all things. Because China has a vast territory and a large span from north to south, natural rhythms vary from place to place. In the long summer season, only the area south of Fuzhou-Nanling line in China presents the midsummer scene of "the trees grow dark in summer and the balcony reflects into the pond"; And parts of the northeast and northwest just have the breath of spring at this time.

Changxia folk custom

1. Taste new things: There is a so-called "seeing three new things" in the long summer custom in the south of the Yangtze River, which means eating fresh and tender things that grow in this season. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, there is a custom of "trying new things in the long summer". There is a saying in Suzhou that "seeing three new things in the long summer". "Sanxin" refers to newly matured cherries, plums and wheat.

2. Beating eggs: Beating eggs is usually a child's game. To use boiled eggs, generally boil them with white water (the shell can't be damaged), soak them in cold water, and then put them in a net bag woven with colored silk thread or wool for children to hang around their necks.

3. Calling people in the long summer: There is a custom of calling people after lunch in the long summer. People hang a big wooden scale at the entrance of the village or platform, and a stool is hung on the scale hook. Everyone takes turns to sit on the stool and weigh people. When weighing flowers, the caller said auspicious words. People who weigh in the long summer will bring good luck to Adou, and people also pray to God to bring them good luck.