Summer has passed, and autumn is gradually coming. When autumn comes, there is a saying of putting on autumn fat. When should you start putting on autumn fat? Which solar term does the custom of posting autumn fat belong to?
When does autumn fatting start?
Beginning of Autumn is the solar term.
The Beginning of Autumn is a very important solar term. Traditional Chinese medicine has a saying of "bitter summer", that is, due to rising temperatures, appetite decreases, food intake is significantly reduced compared with other seasons, and is accompanied by low fever, fatigue, fatigue, Lack of energy, reduced work productivity and weight loss. Therefore, it is necessary to make up for the "fat" lost in summer in autumn. The beginning of autumn is the first solar term in autumn. In nature, the yang energy gradually decreases and the yin energy gradually grows. At this time, it is very appropriate to apply autumn fat.
What is the custom of wearing autumn fat?
Beginning of Autumn is the 13th of the twenty-four solar terms. It falls on August 7, 8 or 9 every year. On this day, there is a folk saying of "posting autumn fat". It is popular among the people to weigh people on a hanging scale on the day of Beginning of Autumn, and compare their weight with that of Beginning of Summer to check whether they are fat or thin. Weight loss is called "Bitter Summer". At that time, people often only judged health based on fatness and thinness. Of course, you need to "make up" if you lose weight, and the way to make up for it is to "put on autumn fat". Eat delicious delicacies, and of course, the first choice is to eat meat, "putting on fat with meat."
What does it mean to post autumn fat?
It turns out that in the past, people paid a lot of attention to solar terms, most of which were related to eating and disease prevention. This is not unrelated to people's concern for their own health. . "Food is the most important thing for the people." The Beginning of Autumn is a very important solar term. Of course, people can't forget to eat. Therefore, "autumn fat sticking" is popular among people in Beijing, Hebei, and Northeast China.
In addition to "posting autumn fat" at the beginning of autumn, "biting autumn" is also popular in Tianjin and other places. People believe that eating melons at the beginning of autumn can avoid diarrhea in winter and spring. There is such a record in Zhang Tao's "Jinmen Miscellaneous Notes: Customs of the Years" of the Qing Dynasty: "Eating melons at the beginning of autumn is called biting autumn, which can avoid diarrhea." In the Qing Dynasty, people would eat melons, steamed preserved eggplants, etc. the day before the beginning of autumn. The fragrant glutinous soup and other ingredients are left to dry in the yard overnight and eaten on the day of the Beginning of Autumn, in order to clear away the heat and avoid dysentery.
The Beginning of Autumn is a major solar term that farmers attach great importance to. There is a proverb, "If you sit down at the beginning of autumn, you will starve in the next spring." It reminds people to step up their farm work and strive for a bumper harvest. The farmer's proverb says: "When it rains, it will be dry, but when it rains at the beginning of autumn, you will have good food." There is also a saying that "everything harvested in autumn will be harvested in July, and everything lost in autumn will be lost in June". It means that when autumn begins in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, a good harvest of grains is expected; if the beginning of autumn falls in the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the harvest will be poor if the grains are not abundant. Another example is "North wind before autumn and rain after autumn, north wind after autumn", which means that if the north wind blows before the beginning of autumn, it will rain after autumn; if the north wind blows after the beginning of autumn, there may be drought in winter. For farmers who in the past had to rely on the weather for food, the meaning of the Beginning of Autumn is not limited to eating.
At the beginning of autumn, the main purpose is to moisturize and moisten the skin, and be careful when applying autumn fat. In autumn, the weather gradually turns cooler, and people often experience varying degrees of dryness in the mouth, nose, skin and other parts of the body. Therefore, they should eat moist and juicy foods that promote body fluids and nourish yin, and eat less spicy and fried foods. It is advisable to eat moist, sweet, sour and cold foods in autumn. Cold and cool foods can clear away heat. Sweet foods are greasy in nature and have slowing, neutralizing and tonic effects. Sour foods have the effects of astringing, promoting body fluids, and quenching thirst. At the same time, Chinese medicine believes that the lungs are closely related to autumn qi, so you should eat more foods that can moisten the lungs and promote body fluids, such as lilies, lotus seeds, yams, lotus roots, oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. From this point of view, after the beginning of autumn, we should pay special attention to regular and quantitative diet, moisturizing and strengthening the body.
Is it necessary to apply autumn fat?
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that after entering autumn, the weather turns cooler, Yang Qi gradually shrinks, and Yin Qi gradually grows. According to the theory of the unity of nature and man, The same is true for the human body, so there is a saying of harvesting in autumn and storing in winter. The human body has experienced a long and hot summer. People often drink cold drinks and often eat frozen products. In addition, summer heat and dampness trap the spleen, which affects the transportation and transformation functions of the spleen and stomach. Most people have a certain degree of spleen and stomach problems. The function is weakened. As the saying goes, "after summer, there is no disease and three points of deficiency." Therefore, appropriate supplements are needed in autumn. However, traditional Chinese medicine pays attention to syndrome differentiation and constitution. Depending on the specific situation, not everyone can supplement.