What does summer heat mean?

Summer, that is, "summer", means that the hot and difficult weather has come to an end and the summer heat has begun to fade.

Entering summer is a solar term that reflects the change of temperature. The original meaning of "going out" means "stopping" and "staying". "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" says: place, stop. "Summer heat" means that the unbearable hot weather has come to an end and the summer heat has begun to fade. "Three summers" and "three days" both represent hot and humid weather, and the curves on the time axis and the temperature axis are basically the same: summer is coming, summer is coming; When the sky falls, summer is over.

There are "three summers" in the 24 solar terms, namely, little summer, big summer and long summer, followed by early summer, heatstroke and late summer. There is also a "beginning of autumn" solar term in the middle of the "Three Summers". After beginning of autumn, it is summer, and the heat lasts for a long time. Long-term intense heat is beneficial to the growth and yield of crops. The ancients called the period from beginning of autumn to the autumnal equinox "long summer".

Traditional custom of dispelling summer heat

1, ancestor worship to welcome autumn

The folk customs around the summer solar terms are mostly related to ancestor worship and welcoming autumn. Around the summer vacation, there will be folk activities to celebrate "July 30th", commonly known as "July 30th" or "Mid-Autumn Festival". July and a half is a folk festival to celebrate the harvest and repay the earth in early autumn. Some crops are ripe, so according to the law, people should worship their ancestors, offer new rice and other sacrifices, and report Qiu Cheng to their ancestors.

Step 2 eat ducks

"July and a half duck, August and a half duck", the ancients thought that ducks in the middle of July in the lunar calendar were the most fat and nutritious. In summer, old Beijingers will buy lily ducks to cool off the summer, but in Jiangsu, it's so-called "sending ducks to cool off the summer makes everyone sick" to serve a bowl of duck dishes to their neighbors.

3. River lamp

River lanterns usually have lights or candles on their bases. Before and after the summer vacation, there will be activities to celebrate the Central Plains, commonly known as "July 30" or "Central Plains Festival", in which river lanterns are put into the water to drift, to mourn the dead and pray for peace.

4. Fishing Festival

After the summer vacation, fishing harvest is a period, and the coastal areas of China often hold various activities in this solar term to send fishermen out to sea and look forward to a bumper harvest. At this time, the water temperature in the sea area is still high, and the fish will still stay around the sea area, and the fish, shrimp and shellfish are mature. Therefore, from this time on, people can often enjoy all kinds of seafood.

5. Water splashing carnival

There is a custom of splashing water in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan.

Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Chu Shu