The beginning of spring is commonly known as "Dachun". The old custom of the beginning of spring is not only an ancient solar term, but also a major festival. On the first day of spring, the emperor will personally lead the princes and officials to welcome the spring in the eastern suburbs and carry out the order of charity and charity. On the first day of spring, the village elects an old man to symbolically hit the spring cow three times with a whip, which means the beginning of the year's farming. Folk artists make many small clay cows, which are called "spring cows". Sending them to various families is called "send spring".
The master will reward those who "send spring". It is essentially a festive sales event, but everyone is happy. In some places, a yellow paper with a spring cow picture is posted on the wall. Yellow represents the land, and the spring cow represents farming. It is commonly known as the "Spring Cow Picture". During the Spring Festival, it is customary for people to eat radish, ginger, green onions and flour cakes, which is called "biting spring". Rain not only represents the beginning of rainfall and the increase in rainfall, but also represents the increase in temperature.
Before the rain, the weather was relatively cold. After the rain, the spring breeze brings warmth, and disease-causing bacteria and viruses are easily spread by the wind, so infectious diseases are often prone to outbreaks in spring. You should protect yourself, pay attention to physical exercise, enhance your resistance, and prevent the occurrence of diseases. During the rain solar term, the moisture in the ground gradually rises, and dew and frost appear in the morning. Therefore, in response to such climate characteristics, dietary maintenance should focus on nourishing the spleen and stomach and dispelling wind and dampness.
Since the climate is relatively cold at this time, appropriate supplements can be taken, such as honey, jujubes, yam, tremella, etc., which are all suitable for this solar term. The Waking of Insects, symbolizing the beginning of February, will cause a thunderous sound to wake up all the hibernating snakes, insects, rats, and ants. The reptiles and ants in the home will rise up again in response to the sound and look for food everywhere. Therefore, in ancient times, on the day of the Waking of Insects, people would hold scented incense and mugwort and smoke them in the four corners of their homes to drive away snakes, insects, mosquitoes, rats and musty smells. Over time, it gradually evolved into the habit of slapping those who are unhappy with their enemies and driving away bad luck. It is also the predecessor of "beating the villain".
During the Waking of Insects season, the weather turns warm and cold, and the climate is relatively dry, which can easily cause dryness of the mouth and exogenous cough. Raw pears are cold in nature and sweet in taste. They have the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving coughs, nourishing yin and clearing away heat. There is a folk custom of eating pears during the awakening of insects. In addition, cough patients can also eat lotus seeds, loquats, Luo Han Guo and other foods to relieve pain. The diet should be light and greasy foods should be avoided. Pungent foods such as peppers, onions, garlic, and peppers should also be eaten less.
The vernal equinox is usually on March 20 or 21 in the Gregorian calendar. On the vernal equinox, day and night are equally divided into 12 hours each. The vernal equinox is also the three months of spring (beginning of spring to beginning of summer), dividing spring equally. It is said that "the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox equalize day and night", so the vernal equinox is also called "the middle of the day" and "the day and night equinox". Begin sweeping graves to worship ancestors, also called Spring Festival. In the old days, there was a folk custom of "eating spring vegetables at the spring equinox". Spring vegetables are a kind of wild amaranth, also known as spring green grass.
In the Jiangnan area, the custom of rewarding cattle and sacrificing birds is popular. Sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival to honor ancestors has a long history and has become a custom. Tomb sweeping is also called tomb offering, sacrificial sweeping, and grave visiting. Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival is because the Waking of Insects and the Spring Equinox have passed, the ice and snow have melted, and vegetation has sprouted. People think about the tombs of their ancestors, whether foxes and rabbits burrowed through them, and whether they will collapse due to the arrival of the rainy season. Therefore, they go to the tombs to On the one hand, we clear the weeds, trim the branches, and add a few shovels of soil to the grave; on the other hand, we prepare some sacrifices, burn some paper money, hang some notes on the branches, and hold a simple sweeping ceremony to show our respect for the deceased. Miss you.
Outing In ancient times, on this day, people would gather with relatives and friends, support the elderly and the young, and take advantage of the great spring weather to go outing in the countryside. There are also many traditional and colorful cultural and sports activities spread around the Qingming Festival, such as tug-of-war, swinging, kite flying, polo playing, cockfighting and other activities. Grain Rain means "rain produces hundreds of grains". In the Jiangnan area, peonies are commonly known as "Grain Rain flowers" because they bloom during the Grain Rain Festival, so there is a proverb of "Looking at peonies during the three dynasties of Grain Rain".
Wherever there are flowers, gentlemen and women visit, feast, and enjoy the flowers, which is called "Flower Party." For fishermen, it is a popular custom to worship the sea during Guyu Festival. There is a custom of picking tea during Guyu in the south. It is said that drinking the tea on Guyu will clear fire, ward off evil spirits, and improve eyesight. So no matter what the weather is like on Guyu day, people will go to the tea mountains to pick some new tea and come back to drink it.
At the beginning of summer, in the old days, red beans, soybeans, black beans, green beans, mung beans and other five-color beans were mixed with white japonica rice to cook "five-color rice" in the countryside. meal".
The food corresponding to subsequent solar terms is also determined based on weather conditions, maturity of crops, and customs.