What are the solar terms in spring?

Spring is the beginning of four seasons, usually in February, March and April of the solar calendar. There are two solar terms every month, beginning of spring and Rain in February, Sting and Equinox in March, Qingming and Grain Rain in April. Therefore, spring has six solar terms.

I. beginning of spring (3-5 February)

Beginning of spring is the first of the 24 solar terms and the first day of spring. Beginning of spring said that spring is coming. In ancient times, beginning of spring was a very important day for agriculture. That is to say, from this day on, the warm east wind replaced the bitter north wind, the winter ice and snow gradually thawed, the river began to gurgle, the atmosphere rose, plants and trees full of green, insects and ants were stirring, and the whole earth gradually woke up.

The day of beginning of spring is about fifteen days from the last solar term of the previous year, which usually occurs on the first day of the first lunar month, but sometimes at the end of December of the previous year. There are also cases where beginning of spring happens to be New Year's Day, such as the thirty-seventh year of Qing Qianlong (1772) and the fifteenth year of Jiaqing (18 10), but this kind of situation is very rare, so there is a saying: "It is hard to meet spring in a hundred years." Twenty-four solar terms are the calendar for farmers to cultivate crops in one year, so beginning of spring was designated as "Farmers' Day" by the government after the Republic of China.

In ancient times, there were many interesting festivals and ceremonies at the beginning of spring.

On this day, the ancient emperor fasted and bathed, and led hundreds of civil and military officials to hold ceremonies. One was to welcome the spring, and the other was to persuade farmers to encourage them to do well in farming in the new year. They pray that it will be sunny and never rain, because sunny days indicate favorable weather and abundant crops, while rainy days indicate abnormal climate and poor crops.

In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, on the day of beginning of spring, people cut colored silk into the shape of swallows and put it on their bodies, indicating that spring comes to the earth with the return of swallows, and every household sticks the word "Yichun" on their doors.

Beginning of spring also has the custom of "beating spring cattle". Beating spring cattle is a ceremony to encourage farming. I am afraid that the cow will get lazy after a winter break, so I beat it with colorful whips and sticks, which is called "beating the spring cow". Spring cattle are usually native cattle. People broke the cow, and another heifer hidden in advance was exposed in the cow's stomach. At this time, people around are scrambling to steal the spring cow. It is said that the soil on the corner of spring can make the farmland harvest, the soil on cattle is suitable for raising silkworms at home, and the soil on cattle's eyes can also be used as medicine to treat diseases. In cities, there are even more vendors selling "Koharu Cattle". Tudu stands on the column seat wrapped in colored paper and snow willow, and there are hundreds of jugglers decorated with Tudu, which makes people fondle it.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, except for people from Xuzhou, Jiangsu, people from all over the country played with spring cows in the spring. People in Xuzhou believe that if beginning of spring hits a spring cow, he will be killed by a scorpion.

In the north, beginning of spring eats raw radishes or spring cakes on this day, which is called "biting spring". Streets and alleys are full of vendors selling raw radishes, and they can still be heard coughing and selling "crisp pears" in the middle of the night.

After these lively and interesting customs to celebrate the Spring Festival, such as shooting spring cows, welcoming Ju Mang gods and biting spring, everyone knows that spring is coming.

Second, the rain (February 18-20)

Rain is the first month and the second solar term in a year. At this time, the earth is blowing a warm spring breeze, the snow on the mountain melts, and the snow water flows from the mountain to the flat, with more moisture, greater humidity and more natural rainfall. Therefore, the solar term after beginning of spring is called rain, and continuous spring rain is a common sight.

Rain is the gift that farmers want most from God. In spring, intensive rain indicates that this year will be a bumper year. Sunlight and rain are two things that crops need most. Farmers plough their fields in spring all year round, harvest them in autumn and store them in winter. If there is not enough rain in spring, they will not be able to farm smoothly, and this year's harvest will be greatly affected. Therefore, at this moment, only intensive rain will bring the hope of a bumper harvest.

In ancient China, rainwater was divided into three stages: "One stage was that Rex sacrificed fish; Second, wait for Hongyan to come; Third-class grass sprouted. "

In the rainy season, otters start fishing and put the fish on the shore, as if to sacrifice first and then eat it; Five days later, the geese began to fly back to the north from the south; In five days, in the "moist and silent" spring rain, the spirit of the sun rises everywhere in the vegetation and begins to sprout. Since then, the earth has begun to show a thriving scene.

The rainy season, with changeable weather, is one of the seasons with the most cold waves in the whole year. It is very harmful to the growth of crops, forests and fruits that have sprouted and turned green and people's health. While paying attention to the cold and antifreeze work of crops, greenhouse vegetables and public transport departments, we should also pay attention to personal hygiene and health care to prevent the occurrence of epidemic diseases such as colds in late winter and early spring.

Rain is not a holiday, so ordinary people have no holiday customs on this rainy day. For farmers, it is best to plant rice and transplant oranges in rainy days. Therefore, the agricultural proverb says, "Rain seeds fall into the water (rice)." There is also: "Rain Festival, picking oranges."

Third, fright (March 5-7)

Sting is the solar term in mid-spring and February. During this period, the temperature rises, the earth thaws one after another, the peach blossoms are about to open, the birds on the trees begin to sing, the spring thunder rings at first, and all kinds of animals and insects that have hibernated for a winter are awakened and started to go out, so this solar term is called Jing Zhe.

In ancient China, the fright was divided into three stages: "When the peach blossoms bloom; After the second, Cang Geng (Huang Li) Ming; The third waiting eagle turned into a rainbow. " According to the description, it is the season of peach blossom red, plum blossom white, orioles singing and swallows coming, and most areas have entered the stage of spring ploughing. When all kinds of insects dormant and hibernating in the soil are awakened, eggs in winter will also start to hatch, which shows that fright is a solar term reflecting natural phenology.

"Spring thunder rings, everything grows", and it is a fine sunny day in September, with the temperature rising and the rain increasing. In addition to the winter scenes in Northeast and Northwest China, the average temperature in most parts of China has risen above zero degrees Celsius, the average daily temperature in North China is three to six degrees Celsius, the average temperature in Jiangnan is above eight degrees Celsius, and the average temperature in Southwest and South China has reached ten to fifteen degrees Celsius. It is already a harmonious spring. Therefore, the working people in our country have attached great importance to the solar terms of fright since ancient times and regarded it as the day when spring ploughing began. There is a cloud in the Tang poetry: "A light rain brings new flowers, and a thunder starts. Tian Jia was idle for a few days, and farming began. " There is also an agricultural proverb, "Spring ploughing can't rest, after the Frightening Festival" and "Nine bloom flowers, farm work comes together". At this time, the winter wheat in North China began to turn green, and the soil was still frozen and thawed alternately. Raking the ground in time is an important measure to reduce water evaporation. "Being shocked without harrowing the ground is like steaming away the air", which is a valuable experience for local people to prevent drought and conserve moisture. Wheat in the south of the Yangtze River has been jointing and rape has begun to blossom. There is a high demand for water and fertilizer, so topdressing should be done in time, and proper irrigation should be done in dry and rainy places. Rain in the south can generally meet the needs of vegetables, wheat and green manure crops in spring, and it is most important to prevent wet damage. As the saying goes, "the game is like dumping dung." "If you want to harvest rapeseed, you must manage the furrow diligently." We should continue to do a good job in furrow cleaning and drainage. We should pay close attention to sowing early rice in South China, and at the same time do a good job in cold prevention in rice fields. As the temperature rises, tea trees gradually sprout, so pruning should be carried out in time, and "sprout-promoting fertilizer" should be applied to promote more branches and leaves and increase tea yield. Peach, pear and apple trees should be well fertilized before flowering.

Fourth, the spring equinox (March 20 -2 1)

The vernal equinox is in mid-February, which was also called "Japan-China" and "Day and Night Equinox" in ancient times. The vernal equinox is one of the solar terms reflecting the changes of the four seasons. In ancient China, beginning of spring, Changxia, beginning of autumn and beginning of winter were used to indicate the beginning of the four seasons. The vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice are in the middle of each season. On the vernal equinox, the sun shines directly at the equator, and the length of day and night is not only the same, but also the same in the northern and southern hemispheres. This day just divides spring into 90 days, so it is called vernal equinox. After this day, the days are getting longer than the nights.

In ancient China, the vernal equinox was divided into three periods: "One is to wait for the arrival of the Yuan bird; Second, wait for Lei Nai to make a sound; Third, wait for electricity. " In other words, after the vernal equinox, swallows will fly from the south, and the sky will thunder and lightning when it rains.

It is said that it rains at the vernal equinox and there will be a good harvest in autumn. Around the vernal equinox, farmers are looking forward to rain, so there will be an agricultural proverb "When it rains at the vernal equinox, every family is busy, planting wheat first, then transplanting rice". If it doesn't rain at the vernal equinox, it means that there is something wrong with the solar terms. Not only is the autumn harvest not good, but people are also prone to illness.

After the vernal equinox, the overwintering crops in most parts of southern China entered the spring growth stage. There is an agricultural proverb in Central China, "Wheat starts at the vernal equinox, and every moment is worth a thousand dollars". The temperature in most parts of the south continues to rise, but generally it doesn't rain as fast as the vernal equinox. In late March, the average temperature in northern South China is mostly 13 to 15 degrees Celsius, and the average temperature in southern South China is mostly 15 to 16 degrees Celsius. The snow and ice have melted in most parts of the plateau, and the average temperature in ten days is about five to ten degrees Celsius. The temperature in the southern valley of China is the highest, with an average of about 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. In the south, except in remote mountainous areas, the average daily temperature rose steadily to above 12 degrees Celsius in seven or eight years, which is beneficial to planting crops such as rice and corn, and is also very suitable for afforestation.

However, before and after the vernal equinox, there is often a strong cold air intrusion in South China, and the temperature drops obviously, as low as five degrees Celsius. Sometimes a small stream of cold air comes one after another, forming a low temperature and rainy weather that lasts for several days, which is extremely unfavorable to agricultural production.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) Tomb-Sweeping Day (April 4-6)

Qingming is the first solar term in March in Ji Chun. Time series arrived in Ji Chun, with beautiful spring, lush vegetation and thriving land. Not only do all the creatures look clean and clear, but all the scenery gives people a beautiful feeling of Qingming, so it is called Qingming.

The traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day in China began in the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,500 years. Qingming is a very important solar term. As soon as Qingming arrives, the temperature rises, which is a good time for spring ploughing and sowing. Therefore, there is an agricultural proverb that "before and after Qingming, plant melons and beans" and "planting trees is just better than Qingming". Later, as the days of Qingming and cold food approached, cold food was the day when people banned fire to sweep graves. Gradually, cold food and Qingming became one, and cold food became another name of Qingming and became a custom of Qingming. Qingming, fireworks did not move, only eat cold food.

Qingming custom is rich and interesting. In addition to paying attention to the prohibition of fire to sweep graves, there are also a series of customary sports activities such as hiking, swinging, cuju, playing polo and inserting willows.

According to legend, this is because cold food is forbidden in Tomb-Sweeping Day. In order to prevent the harm of cold food to people, everyone should take part in some sports activities and exercise.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. It is not only a festival for people to pay homage to their ancestors and remember them, but also a link for the Chinese nation to recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors. It is also a ritual of hiking and getting close to nature.

The intransitive verb Grain Rain (April 19-2 1)

Grain Rain is the last fifteen years after Tomb-Sweeping Day, which is the spirit of late spring and March. Grain Rain, these two words have a special meaning.

In ancient China, Grain Rain was divided into three stages: "The first stage was the beginning of pingsheng; The second time, Ming Hong brushed feathers; The third is that Dai Sheng fell to Sang. " After Grain Rain, the rainfall increased, duckweed began to grow, then cuckoo began to remind people to sow, and then Dai Sheng bird could be seen on mulberry trees.

Grain Rain is the last solar term in spring. As the saying goes, "Qingming breaks snow, Grain Rain breaks frost." Grain Rain is an important festival for sowing and emergence of crops in northern spring. After Grain Rain, the temperature rose rapidly, agricultural production entered a busy period, rainfall began to increase, and grain grew well. During Grain Rain, the weather was mild, duckweed began to appear in the pond, and mulberry trees also grew green leaves. Many areas in the south of the Yangtze River began to pick mulberry and raise silkworms. Farmers have planted seeds and seedlings in the fields, and they need a lot of rain to moisten the fields. Only sufficient rain can make rice fields grow rapidly. Rainwater in Grain Rain period has a great influence on the growth and development of cereal crops. Appropriate rainfall is beneficial to the greening and jointing of overwintering crops and the sowing and emergence of spring sowing crops. In ancient times, the so-called "rain gives birth to hundreds of valleys" reflected Grain Rain's influence on ancient agriculture. However, too much or too little rain will often cause harm and affect the later crop yield. Fishermen especially want to go to Grain Rain. It is said that if it rains on this day, there will be a bumper harvest of fish in those years.

In Jiangnan, peony flower is also called "Grain Rain flower". Because it blooms in Grain Rain, there is a proverb "Three generations of Grain Rain visited the peony". Wherever there are flowers, literati and poets visit and hold banquets to enjoy them, which is called the "Flower Festival". In Shandong, Shaanxi and other places, people often put scorpions on the walls and say, "Grain Rain Day, Grain Rain Day, please call on ordinary Grain Rain. Three cups of tea, three rounds of wine, thousands of miles into dust. "