Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - The 24 Solar Terms - When is the summer of solstice?

When is the summer of solstice?

2021June 21June1:32, Friday, the summer solstice on May 12th of the lunar calendar, also known as summer festival and summer solstice festival in ancient times. In the 7th century BC, the shadow of the sun was measured by civil soil gauge, thus the summer solstice was determined. Solstice is the earliest of the 24 solar terms. The annual summer solstice begins on June 2nd1day (or 22nd) and ends on July 7th (or 8th).

Introduction of Summer Solstice Summer Solstice is one of the 24 solar terms, which falls on June 20th of the Gregorian calendar every year, that is, 2 1, that is, 22nd. On the day of summer solstice, the sun moves to 90 degrees of the yellow meridian (summer solstice, currently in Gemini), and the position where the sun directly hits the ground reaches the northernmost point of the year, almost directly to the Tropic of Cancer. At this time, the daylight hours in all parts of the northern hemisphere reach the longest in the whole year. For the Tropic of Cancer and its northern area, the summer solstice is also the highest day of the year at noon. On this day, the northern hemisphere received the most solar radiation, almost twice as much as the southern hemisphere.

Astronomical experts say that the solstice in summer is the turning point of the sun. After this day, it went back, and the point of direct sunlight moved southward from the Tropic of Cancer, and the days in the northern hemisphere became shorter day by day. After the summer solstice, the Tropic of Cancer and its northern region, the midday sun height angle also began to decrease. At the same time, after the arrival of the summer solstice, the stars in the night sky gradually became summer stars.

The origin of the summer solstice is the earliest of the 24 solar terms. In the 7th century BC, the shadow of the sun was measured by civil soil gauge, thus the summer solstice was determined. The annual summer solstice begins on June 2nd1day (or 22nd) and ends on July 7th (or 8th). According to the manuscript of Abiding by the Constitution, it is called the summer solstice, because the sun is in the north, and the days are long and the shadows are short. Do your best. On the summer solstice, the position where the sun directly hits the ground reaches the northernmost point of the year, almost directly on the tropic of cancer (latitude 23? 26'), the days in the northern hemisphere are the longest, and the farther north, the longer the days are. For example, the daily length of Haikou in Hainan is a little more than 13 hours, Hangzhou is 14 hours, Beijing is about 15 hours, and Mohe in Heilongjiang can reach 17 hours. From summer to the future, the position of direct sunlight on the ground gradually moves southward, and the daytime in the northern hemisphere is shortened day by day. There is a folk saying that eating noodles on the solstice in summer will shorten the day. At this time, the southern hemisphere is in the middle of winter.

The custom of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors in summer solstice

The solstice in summer is the harvest season of wheat. Since ancient times, people have had the custom of celebrating harvest and offering sacrifices to ancestors at this time in order to pray for a good year. Therefore, the summer solstice, as a festival, was included in the ancient ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods. "Zhou Li Chun Guan" contains: When summer comes, it causes local things. In the Zhou dynasty, sacrifices were made to gods from summer solstice, which meant to eliminate famine, hunger and death. The solstice of summer is just after the wheat harvest. Farmers thank God for the bumper harvest and pray for the autumn harvest. Around the summer solstice, a grand summer wheat festival is held in some places, which is the relic of ancient summer festivals.

Avoid summer and crouch

On the solstice of summer, women give each other folding fans, powder cakes and other things. "Youyang Miscellaneous Gifts": On the summer solstice, there are words of entering the fan and powder bag. A fan, thereby generating wind; Powdered fat, apply it to dispel turbid qi caused by body heat and prevent miliaria. In the court, after the summer solstice, the royal family took out ice for winter storage and summer shelter. It was used by dynasties from the Zhou Dynasty and then became a system.