Xiaoman mainly refers to that the seeds of summer crops begin to fill at this time and gradually become full. However, it is only in the stage of "small enough to be full", and it still takes some time to fully mature, so it is called Xiaoman.
There are three stages in Xiaoman solar terms: "Waiting for the bitter vegetable show, waiting for the grass to die, and waiting for the wheat to arrive in autumn." This sentence describes that bitter vegetables in the wild are beginning to flourish, and the shade-loving, thin grass is not resistant to the sun and gradually dies, and the wheat is about to mature.
Extended data:
Solar terms custom
Car god
Offering sacrifices to car gods is an ancient Xiaoman custom in some rural areas. In related legends, the Erche God is a white dragon. People put fish, incense sticks and other items on the waterwheel to worship. The most interesting thing is that there will be a glass of white water in the sacrifice, which will be poured into the field when worshipping, meaning to bless the water inkstone to flourish.
Silkworm sacrifice
The cocoon in Xiaoman season is said to be the birthday of the silkworm god, so there is a silkworm praying festival in Jiangsu and Zhejiang during Xiaoman solar term. China's farming culture is typical of "men plowing and women weaving". The raw materials for women's weaving are mainly cotton in the north and silkworm management in the south. Silk needs to be spun from cocoons, so sericulture is extremely prosperous in rural areas in southern China, especially in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Baidu encyclopedia-xiaoman