The Origin and Legend of the Long Summer Solar Term

The Origin and Legend of the Long Summer Solar Term

Twenty-four solar terms refer to the special festivals in the dry calendar that indicate the season, phenology, climate change and the establishment of "December construction". "Twenty-four solar terms" was originally set by Beidou bucket handle. When the Beidou bucket handle points to the southeast, it is long summer. The current "twenty-four solar terms" are divided by "constant gas method", that is, each solar term corresponds to a certain position that the earth reaches every time it runs 15 on the ecliptic; It divides the trajectory of the sun in one year into 24 equal parts, each equal part is 15, and each equal part is a solar term. When the sun meridian reaches 45, it is the long summer festival. "Twenty-four solar terms" is a knowledge system formed by observing the movement of the sun in a year and understanding the changing laws of the four seasons, climate and phenology in a year.

Long summer is a solar term established at the end of the Warring States Period (239 BC), which indicates the change of four seasons and the beginning of summer in four seasons. In fact, according to the standard of climatology, the daily average temperature rises to above 22℃ steadily, starting from summer. Before and after the "Long Summer", only the area south of Fuzhou-Nanling Line in China is really "the summer trees are deep and the balcony reflects the pond", while some areas in the northeast and northwest have just entered the spring, and the average temperature in most parts of the country is around 18-20℃. Exactly. In May, Sophora japonica blooms in many places. In the long summer, everything is thriving. When the temperature rises obviously, the summer heat comes, thunderstorms increase and crops enter the peak season, people are used to taking long summer as an important solar term.

According to folklore experts, Long Summer is an important festival in ancient China. At the same time, experts pointed out that many ancient festivals and customs originated from sacrificial ceremonies, and "Long Summer" was no exception. According to some data, the earliest appearance of "Long Summer" also originated from ancient sacrificial ceremonies. In the Zhou Dynasty, people no longer offered sacrifices to gods at a fixed time every day, but changed the time of offering sacrifices to four seasons, such as beginning of spring and Zhou Dynasty.

In the long summer, everything is thriving. The book "Eight Chapters of Lotus Life" written by the Ming Dynasty said: "On the day of summer dream, heaven and earth began to merge and everything was beautiful." At this time, the summer harvest crops entered the late growth stage, the winter wheat blossomed and filled, the rape was close to maturity, and the summer harvest crops were basically a foregone conclusion that year. Therefore, there is a saying in agricultural proverbs that "see summer in the long summer". According to records, during the Zhou Dynasty, on the day of long summer, the emperor personally led hundreds of civil and military officials to the suburbs to "welcome summer" and instructed Si Tuleideng and other officials to encourage farmers to work hard. Old customs make summer a traditional folk festival, called "Long Summer Festival".

The Han dynasty also followed this custom. The Book of Sacrifice in the Later Han Dynasty reads: "On the day of long summer, we welcome summer, and all the southern suburbs worship Chi Di, and the car flags and costumes are all red." The song "Zhu Ming" and the dance "Dancing with Wings". In the Song Dynasty, etiquette became more complicated. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that there was a "taste of new customs". In the Qing Dynasty, "Ji Sheng at the age of Emperor Jingdi" contained that "spring buds of rice noodles that are usually exposed outside are taken in long summer, fried into various fruit stacks with sugar noodles, and fed to each other". Willow branches are folded into fruits, which are children's food. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there is also the custom of eating flowers and rice in the long summer, and some people call it "food supplement". There is also the folk custom that "eggs are eaten in the long summer and stones are crushed". It is said that eating eggs and duck eggs in long summer can enhance physical fitness and resist summer heat. Some people eat bamboo shoots in the long summer and some people drink them in the long summer, which is called "seeing three novelty in the long summer". In the southern region, in the old society, every family steamed new tea and gave it to relatives and neighbors with various fruits.

According to the records of the 24 solar terms: "long summer is also, long summer is also, and it is too big. At this time, everything is too big." That is, at this time of long summer, spring goes and summer comes. Therefore, in some places, the long summer is also called "the end of spring".

In the Zhou Dynasty, it was gradually formed that the Emperor of Zhou, as the king of a country, needed to preside over the sacrificial ceremony pro-Japanese. According to the Book of Rites, on the day of long summer, the emperor personally led three princes, nine ministers, governors and doctors to welcome summer in the southern suburbs.

Seasonally speaking, the long summer is actually the beginning of summer, which means that the rainstorm and thunderstorm weather will increase a lot and everything will enter a season of vigorous growth. In rural areas, there are many weather conditions on long summer days to predict the overall weather trend in summer, such as: "If it doesn't rain in long summer, it will dry up the wheat" and "If it doesn't rain in long summer, the plow will hang high".

A brief legend of 24 solar terms's long summer.

Legend one

Long summer is still a traditional festival for four years old. On the long summer day of the Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Tiandi led three officials, nine ministers and all doctors to welcome the summer in the suburbs south of the city. And held a ceremony to worship Zhu Rong, the former emperor. The Han dynasty also followed this custom. The sacrificial book of the later Han Dynasty reads: "On the day of long summer, welcome summer, Zhu Rong and Chi Di in the southern suburbs, sacrifice, and flags and clothes are all red." The song "Zhu Ming" and the dance "Dancing with Wings". In the Song Dynasty, etiquette became more complicated. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that there was a "taste of new customs". In the Qing Dynasty, "Ji Sheng at the age of Emperor Jingdi" contained that "spring buds of rice noodles that are usually exposed outside are taken in long summer, fried into various fruit stacks with sugar noodles, and fed to each other". Willow branches are folded into fruits, which are children's food. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there is also the custom of eating flowers and rice in the long summer, and some people call it "food supplement". There is also the folk custom that "eggs are eaten in the long summer and stones are crushed". It is said that eating eggs and duck eggs in long summer can enhance physical fitness and resist summer heat. Some people eat bamboo shoots in the long summer and some people drink them in the long summer, which is called "seeing three novelty in the long summer". In the southern region, in the old society, every family steamed new tea and gave it to relatives and neighbors with various fruits.

Legend 2

The second legend about "calling people" in the Long Summer is related to Liu Chan, the last ruler of Shu in the Three Kingdoms period.

At the end of the Three Kingdoms, Shu, which was managed by the late ruler Liu Chan, was already very weak. This year, the general of Wei, Deng Ai, was ordered to lead an army to attack Shu, and the soldiers were forced to surrender. Zheng Zheng, a loyal minister in Shu, proposed to Wargo that "Liu Chan is the king of a country. After surrendering to Dewey, he can't be abused or lose a little meat, otherwise he would rather die than surrender". Wargo agreed to this condition.

After Liu Chan surrendered, he was taken to Luoyang, the capital of Wei at that time. Duke Wei named him an Anle Gong and gave him a house, ten thousand silks and satins and a hundred beautiful women. From then on, Liu ate, drank, and was not ashamed to forget his country. The next year, Liu Chan was called to weigh himself, but instead of losing weight, the king who forgot his country gained more than 20 kilograms. This day also happens to be the beginning of summer. There is a poem in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that says, "Laugh and play, and worry about it." If you are happy in a foreign land and forget your old country, you will know that your late master was a mediocrity. "