China-Singapore Entertainment, May 5 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) "The weather at four o'clock urges each other, and the wind brings summer heat overnight." In the beginning of summer, all things grow vigorously. Around the characteristics of the season, a series of customary activities have been formed among the people.
According to Wang Juan, a folklore expert, on the day of the beginning of summer, there is a custom of "weighing people", that is, weighing people, hoping that the summer will go smoothly.
Weight loss after the beginning of autumn indicates good health.
Data map: Children write the words "Lixia" on the eggs.
Photo by Yang Xiaoyong
The first solar term of summer
Lixia is the seventh solar term in the twenty-four solar terms and the first solar term in summer.
Among the twenty-four solar terms, the solar terms that reflect the changes of the four seasons include the beginning of spring and the beginning of summer, etc.; the solar terms that reflect the temperature change include the small heat and the great heat; the solar terms that reflect the weather phenomena are rain, grain rain, and white dew.
In "Book of Yi Zhou· Shi Xun Xun", he explained the solar terms of the beginning of summer in this way: "On the day of the beginning of summer, the grasshopper sings. In another five days, the earthworms emerge. In another five days, the king melon is born." The image describes the phenology at the beginning of Mengxia. scene.
The ancients attached great importance to the Lixia solar term.
At this time, everything is flourishing, and the summer crops are in the late stage of growth, and their year is basically a foregone conclusion.
Data map: The corn seedlings in the fields of Ganzhou District, Zhangye are thriving in the morning light.
Photo by Chen Li
"Tasting Three Freshness" and Lixia Rice
"The people take food as the sky." Around the characteristics of the solar terms of the beginning of summer, the folk have formed a wealth of customs, including food and drink.
For example, in some places, green plums are eaten in summer; there are folk sayings such as "trying the three freshness" and eating eggs; in Suzhou, there is a saying that "the beginning of summer sees three new things", and it is said that the "three new things" are cherries, green plums and wheat.
"This kind of new beginning of summer is not very common. The climate is different across the country. In some places, there are already harvests at the beginning of summer, but in some places there are no harvests. Therefore, tasting new is local." Wang Juan explained.
"Lixia Rice" is also a relatively unique diet: people use red beans, soybeans and other five colors of beans mixed with rice, steamed and eaten.
Some folklore experts explained that this kind of Lixia rice is also called five-color rice, which means to balance the five elements and give people spiritual encouragement.
In addition, the Jiangnan water town has the custom of cooking tender broad beans in summer.
Why should you tie the "Xia Xia Rope"?
Not only diet, but many customs of Lixia are actually reminding people to prepare for the arrival of summer.
Data map: People participate in the "calling a person" folk activities.
Photo by Yang Xiaoyong
Liu Tong, a Ming Dynasty, recorded in the "Scenery of the Imperial Capital": "When the summer begins, the ice will be opened, and the ministers of civil and military affairs will be given." It can be seen that in the Ming Dynasty, when the beginning of the summer, the official Ling Guan, who was in charge of the ice administration in the imperial court, would dig out the ice cubes stored in the winter cellar. , cut apart, and rewarded by the emperor to officials.
In summer, people also have their own ways to cool down, such as drinking cold drinks.
It is said that in the Song Dynasty, there were already many varieties of cold drinks, including sugar mung bean, pear pulp, papaya juice, brined plum water, fragrant mushroom drink, kumquat snow bubble and so on.
It is worth mentioning that Lixia has the custom of "calling people".
Specifically, it is to weigh the body on the day of the beginning of summer, hoping that the summer will go smoothly.
After the summer, weigh yourself again, compare it with the previous weight, and adjust your body in time.
Not only that, but people will also tie their children with "summer ropes".
The sound of 閰 is zhù, which refers to diseases caused by not being able to adapt to the climate or environment, such as 閰xia, 閰 Boat, etc.
Tie the summer rope, that is, use five-color silk threads to tie the child's wrist, etc., to imply the elimination of disasters and blessings, and to express the desire to eliminate the heat.
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