Why should the vernal equinox solar terms stand upright?

The vernal equinox solar term of 202 1 has arrived. There are many customs of the vernal equinox, but there is a very interesting custom, that is, "laying eggs vertically", but do you know why the vernal equinox lays eggs vertically? Here is a brief introduction to why the vernal equinox and solar terms should be vertical eggs _ the origin of the vernal equinox vertical egg custom. Welcome to reading.

Vernal equinox vertical egg custom

The most interesting custom on the vernal equinox is "laying eggs": choose a smooth and symmetrical egg that has just been born for four or five days and gently stand it on the table. When the vernal equinox arrives, the eggs will look good. On the occasion of the vernal equinox every year, many places in China hold "vertical egg" games or competitions.

Why should the vernal equinox erect eggs? The origin of the custom of laying eggs vertically at the vernal equinox

According to historical records, the tradition of dividing eggs in spring originated in Great China 4000 years ago to celebrate the arrival of spring. In fact, standing an egg has nothing to do with the vernal equinox, just let the center of gravity of the egg be lower than the curve position of the maximum circumference in the middle of the egg. According to the ancient legend, the day of vernal equinox is the easiest day to lay eggs.

Vertical eggs actually have another meaning. Spring is coming, and everything is restless. Laying eggs is a good way to remind people to keep a good attitude and keep calm at any time.

Why did you choose to "lay eggs" at the vernal equinox? Can eggs stand up at ordinary times? What is the scientific truth of "laying eggs"?

Some people say that it is easy to stand an egg at the "vernal equinox" because the vernal equinox is a day as long as day and night in the northern and southern hemispheres, and the earth's axis tilted at 66.5 degrees is in relative balance with the earth's orbital plane around the sun, so it is easier to stand an egg successfully.

Others say that the "vernal equinox" coincides with the vernal equinox, the weather is lukewarm, the flowers are red and the grass is green, people are comfortable, their thinking is quick, their movements are neat, and it is also the easiest to concentrate and successfully stand the eggs.

The viewpoint in the book "Knowledge of Twenty-four Solar Terms" holds that vertical eggs have little to do with the vernal equinox. Because the egg surface is uneven, there are many protruding "hills". The height of "hills" is about 0.03 mm, and the distance between "peaks" is between 0.5 and 0.8 mm. According to the principle that three points determine a plane, just find three "hills" and the triangle they form, and then let the center of gravity of the egg pass through this triangle, the egg can stand upright.

Some experts believe that vertical eggs really have nothing to do with the vernal equinox and solar terms. Because the real factor that makes an egg stand up is gravity, an egg can stand up on any day of the year. The secret of vertical eggs is mainly "steady hands and patience, a pure heart."

What are the tricks of "laying eggs" at the vernal equinox?

Method 1: Find the supporting surface. In order to find a suitable supporting surface, we did a small experiment. We drew inkpad on the desktop, and then stood the eggs on the inkpad. You can find that an egg that can stand will have a plane at the bottom that is difficult to see with the naked eye. Once the gravity line can pass through this plane, the egg can stand up.

Method 2: Keep your hands steady. Because the position of the yolk in the raw egg will also affect the standing of the egg, the hand standing on the egg should be kept as still as possible, so that the yolk can slowly settle to the lower part of the egg, so that the center of gravity can be low enough to keep the egg balanced.

Method 3: Pick eggs. First, choose an egg with a big head and a small head. When laying eggs, the big head will face down, so the center of gravity will be lower, just like a tumbler, it is easy to keep balance. It is best to lay eggs 3 to 5 days after birth, so that the yolk of the egg is loose, the yolk sinks and the center of gravity drops, which is conducive to the erection of the egg. When laying eggs, you can't choose cooked eggs or frozen eggs. If the egg has just been taken out of the refrigerator, it is better to heat it before testing it.

The game of "laying eggs" on the vernal equinox is quite interesting. Let's take out the eggs at home and have a try, and see if you can stand up.

Interesting folk customs of vernal equinox

Eat spring vegetables

Lingnan style

Kaipingcang Town used to have a custom of "eating spring vegetables at the vernal equinox", with one city and four cities (plus Heshan as five cities). "Spring vegetable" is a kind of wild amaranth, which villagers call "Artemisia chun". On the vernal equinox, the whole village went to pick spring vegetables. When searching in the wild, it is often green and thin, about the length of a palm. Picked spring vegetables are usually boiled with fish fillets at home, which is called "spring soup". There is a jingle that says, "Spring soup is dirty, but it washes the liver and intestines. The whole family is safe and healthy. " Since the spring of the year, people still pray for peace and health at home.

Send spring cattle

The vernal equinox is coming soon, and there will be a picture of spring cattle delivered door to door. The picture is printed with red paper or yellow paper on the lunar solar terms all the year round, and also printed with farmers' ploughing patterns, which is called "Spring Cattle Map". The people who send pictures are folk singers, who mainly say things like spring ploughing and auspiciousness that are not against the farming season. Every time they go to a house, they say whatever they see until the owner is happy to give money. Although the words spoken are casual, every sentence rhymes beautifully. Commonly known as "spring", spring people are called "spring officials".

Sticking sparrow's mouth

According to custom, farmers have a holiday on the vernal equinox. Every family should eat dumplings, cook a dozen or twenty or thirty dumplings without wrapping them, and put them on the outdoor ridge beside the field with thin bamboo forks, which is called sticking sparrows' mouths, so as not to destroy crops.

fly a kite

The vernal equinox is also a good time for children to fly kites. Especially at the vernal equinox. Even adults are involved. Kites are divided into Wang Zi Kite, Silver Carp Kite, Myxomoth Kite, Leigong Kite and Moon Light Kite. The biggest kite is two meters high, and the smallest one is two or three feet. There are kites on the market, many of which are smaller than others' and suitable for children to play with, but most of them are posted by themselves, and the bigger ones have to compete with each other to see which one flies high.

the Spring Festival; Chinese New Year

At the vernal equinox in February, people began to pay homage to their ancestors, also known as the Spring Festival. Before sweeping the grave, a grand ancestor worship ceremony should be held in the ancestral hall, pigs and sheep should be slaughtered, drummers should be invited to play, and the ritual students should read the eulogy and quote three praises. At the beginning of the spring equinox grave sweeping, the first thing is to sweep the graves of ancestors and distant ancestors. The whole family and the whole village have to be dispatched on a large scale, and the team often reaches hundreds or even thousands. After the ancestral graves of Kaiji and Yuanzu were swept, they were divided into rooms to sweep the graves of ancestors in each room, and finally each family swept the graves privately. In most Hakka areas, ancestor worship and grave sweeping in spring begin at the vernal equinox or earlier, and must end in Tomb-Sweeping Day at the latest. There is a saying everywhere that after the Qingming Festival, the tomb door is closed, and the ancestors' spirits are not needed.

worship

The folk festivals around the vernal equinox are February 15, Zhang Kai's birthday: Wang Sheng, also known as "Chen", was a warrior of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Yuanguang, who made great contributions to Zhangzhou and became the patron saint of Zhangzhou after his death. February 19 is the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Every birthday, many believers will go to Guanyin Temple to worship. On February 25th, Sanshan King Sacrifice Day: Sanshan King refers to Dushan, Mingshan, Jinshan and other mountain gods in Jieyang County, Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong Province. In the early years, Chaozhou Hakka immigrants were the patron saint, so the believers were mainly Hakkas.

festival

In the Zhou dynasty, there was a ceremony to worship the sun at the vernal equinox. Book of Rites: "Altar." Ying Da Shu by Confucius: "Also called vernal equinox".

Ritan is located in the east of Ritan Road in the southeast outside Chaoyangmen, also known as Asahi altar. It is the place where emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties offered sacrifices to Daimyojin (the sun) at the vernal equinox. Asahi is set at the beginning of the vernal equinox. Every year, A, C, E, G and Ren are sacrificed by the emperor himself, and the rest are sacrificed by officials.

Most places where ancient emperors offered sacrifices to the sun were located in the suburbs of Beijing. There was an altar in Beijing in the Yuan Dynasty. This altar in Beijing was built in the 9th year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1530). It is surrounded by a square outer wall. Before each sacrifice, the emperor would come to the clothing hall of Beitanmen to rest, then change into clothes and go to the Asahi altar for sacrifice. Asahi altar is located in the south of the whole building, facing east and west. This is because the sun rises in the east, and people have to stand in the west and salute the east. The altar is circular, 1 floor, with a diameter of 33.3 meters. Surrounded by short walls, there are 1 stargates in the east, south and north. To the west is the main entrance, and there are three star gates to show the difference. A square platform made of white stone in the middle of the wall is called the altar, with a height of 1.89 meters and a circumference of 64 meters. After the completion of the Ming Dynasty, the altar was made of red glazed tiles, symbolizing the sun in Daimyojin. This was originally a romantic arrangement, but in the Qing Dynasty, it was paved with square bricks, and the altar was inferior.

Although the memorial day is not as good as the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, the ceremony is also quite grand. When the Ming emperors offered sacrifices to the Japanese, they performed three rites, seven songs, eight dances, three kneels and nine bows. The ceremonies of the emperors in the Qing Dynasty offering sacrifices to the sun included welcoming the gods, offering jade and silk, first offering, first offering, last offering, blessing, car dealership, sending gods and meteors, which were also very grand. Today's altar has bid farewell to the era of offering sacrifices to the sun and worshipping God, and has become a park for people's leisure and entertainment.