The origin of the summer solstice solar term The summer solstice is the earliest solar term among the 24 solar terms. In the 7th century BC, the ancestors used Tugui to measure the sun's shadow, which determined the summer solstice. The annual summer solstice begins on June 2nd1day (or 22nd) and ends on July 7th (or 8th). According to the Transcript of Compliance with the Constitution: "The sun arrives in the north, the day is long, and the shadow is short, so it is called the summer solstice. To the best, it is extremely good. " On the day of the summer solstice, the sun's direct exposure to the ground reaches the northernmost point of the year, almost directly to the Tropic of Cancer (23 26' north latitude), and the days in the northern hemisphere reach the longest, and the days get longer as you go north. For example, the day length in Haikou, Hainan is a little more than 13 hours, in Hangzhou it is 14 hours, in Beijing it is about 15 hours, and in Mohe, Heilongjiang it can be more than 17 hours. At the same time, for the Tropic of Cancer and its northern areas, the summer solstice is also the day with the highest sun height at noon in a year. In Beijing, the height of the sun at noon on the summer solstice is as high as 73 32'. After the summer solstice, the position where the sun shines directly on the ground gradually moves south, and the days in the northern hemisphere begin to shorten day by day. For the Tropic of Cancer and its northern area, after the summer solstice, the noon sun height will also decrease day by day. There is a folk saying that "eating noodles on the summer solstice makes a day shorter". At this time, the southern hemisphere is in the middle of winter.
In ancient China, the summer solstice was divided into three phases: "One phase of staghorn dissolution; Second, wait for cicadas to start singing; Three waiting for Pinellia ternata. " Although elk and deer belong to the same family, the ancients believed that they belonged to yin and yang. Deer's horns face forward, so they belong to Yang. On the summer solstice, yin qi is born and yang qi begins to decline, so the positive antlers begin to fall off. However, the elk is cloudy, so it falls off at the corner of the winter solstice; After the summer solstice, male cicadas flapped their wings and sang because of the feeling of yin qi; Pinellia ternata is a shade-loving herb, so it is named because it was born in a swamp or paddy field in midsummer. It can be seen that in the hot midsummer, some yin-loving creatures began to appear, while positive creatures began to decline.
China folks divide 15 days after the summer solstice into three "hours", usually the first three days, the middle five days and the last seven days. During this period, the temperature in most parts of China was high, the sunshine was sufficient, the crops grew rapidly, and the physiological and ecological water requirements were more. At this time, the precipitation has a great influence on agricultural output, and there is a saying that "the summer solstice raindrops are worth thousands of dollars". In general years, the precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Huanghuai area can generally meet the requirements of crop growth. "The Chronicle of Jingchu's Years Old" says: "There will be three rains in June, and the Tian family thinks that it is sweet and the city congratulates each other." It can be seen that people had a clear understanding of this rainfall characteristic more than 1000 years ago.
Summer solstice folk custom Summer solstice custom 1: eating noodles
The summer solstice in May of the lunar calendar (June 22nd in the solar calendar) is the longest day of the year. Sacrificial ceremonies were held in the Zhou Dynasty, which believed that plagues, famine years and people's hunger in the country could be eliminated. The customs of the Han nationality are popular in most parts of the country. Refers to the custom of eating cold noodles (strips) on the summer solstice (one of the 24 solar terms). Qing Pan Rongbi's Ji Sheng at the age of Emperor Jing: "It's a day when furniture eats cold noodles, that is, as the saying goes, the water surface is also ... The proverb goes:' Winter Solstice Wonton Summer Solstice Noodles'"
June 2 1 day is the summer solstice among the 24 solar terms, which is called "Winter Solstice jiaozi Summer Solstice Noodles". Delicious Beijingers pay attention to eating noodles on this day. At the moment of the return of folk customs, all foods that are related to the summer solstice festival sell well. According to the customs and habits of old Beijing, lettuce and cold noodles can be eaten on the first day of the summer solstice every year, because the climate is hot at this time, eating something raw and cold can reduce the fire and stimulate the appetite, without damaging the health due to the cold.
Old Beijing loves Zhajiang Noodles best in the summer solstice.
June 2 1 day is the summer solstice among the 24 solar terms, which is called "Winter Solstice jiaozi Summer Solstice Noodles". Delicious Beijingers pay attention to eating noodles on this day. At the moment of the return of folk customs, all foods that are related to the summer solstice festival sell well. According to the customs and habits of old Beijing, lettuce and cold noodles can be eaten on the first day of the summer solstice every year, because the climate is hot at this time, eating something raw and cold can reduce the fire and stimulate the appetite, without damaging the health due to the cold.
On the summer solstice, noodle restaurants in Beijing are very popular. No matter Sichuan cold noodles, Dandan Noodles, braised pork noodles or Zhajiang Noodles, all kinds of noodles are very popular.
In some areas of northwest China, zongzi is eaten in the summer solstice. In northwest China, such as Shaanxi, zongzi is eaten in this solar eclipse, and chrysanthemums are taken as ash to prevent wheat from being damaged by pests.
In the south, people are weighed to see if they are fat or thin. Farmers roll pancakes, baked, with vegetables, pods, tofu and bacon, and eat them after ancestor worship or give them to relatives and friends.
In some areas, on this day, many adult nephews and nieces go to my uncle's house for dinner, and my uncle's house must have amaranth and gourd to cook. It is said that eating amaranth will not cause hair loss, but eating gourd will make my legs strong. Some people go to grandma's house to eat bacon, saying that if they eat it, they will not be in summer.
Summer solstice custom 2: eat dog meat
In some places, the habit of eating dog meat on the summer solstice is also circulated. Eating dog meat can strengthen the body. According to historical records, "Qin people use dogs to resist evil, and it is said that dog meat is suitable for summer solstice". It means that there are many epidemic diseases in summer, and it is suitable to eat dog meat in summer solstice to enhance resistance. Therefore, the custom of eating dog meat in the summer solstice has been inherited to this day.
"Summer solstice dog, there is no place to hide." On the summer solstice day of the lunar calendar, Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, has a folk custom of eating dogs to dispel evil spirits and strengthen the body during the summer solstice for hundreds of years.
On the day of the summer solstice, in some farmers' markets in Yangjiang, most of the pork stalls in the past hung dog meat, and only a small number of stalls sold pork and dog meat together. Local market managers said that this farmer's market can sell more than 40 heads of pork on weekdays, but today is the summer solstice, and there are only more than 10 heads of pork as the main meat. In the morning, beef has not been seen on the stalls, because the local people have become accustomed to eating dog meat every summer solstice. "Hanging pig's head and selling dog meat" has become a unique landscape of the meat market in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province during the summer solstice.
Why are Yangjiang people so keen on eating dogs on the summer solstice? There is a local saying that eating dog meat on the summer solstice can dispel evil spirits, strengthen the body and resist the plague. "Eat the dog on the summer solstice, and the west wind will take a detour", which means that as long as people eat dog meat on the summer solstice, their bodies can resist the invasion of the west wind and rain, catch fewer colds and be in good health. It is based on this good wish that the unique folk food culture of "dog meat on the summer solstice" has been achieved.
The only difference from the folk tradition is that with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the scene of every household killing dogs on the summer solstice no longer exists today. However, every household's habit of eating dog meat remains the same, and the only difference is that they buy more food than kill it. The local people said that dog meat shops with bad business on weekdays can also make a full house on the summer solstice, and the price of dog meat has also risen sharply.
Summer Solstice Custom 3: Sacrifice to God and Heaven
In ancient times, the summer solstice festival was as grand as the Dragon Boat Festival. From the Zhou Dynasty, every summer solstice, the imperial court held a grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to the gods to pray for disaster relief and prosperity. In addition to offering sacrifices, the imperial court also used songs, dances, rituals and music to pray for the peace of the country and the people. In the Song Dynasty, from the day of the summer solstice, officials in the DPRK would have a three-day holiday. In the Liao dynasty, women gave each other powder and fat capsules to remove the smell of sweat on their bodies.
The imperial court attached so much importance to the summer solstice that the people were no exception. Every summer solstice, farmers everywhere are busy offering sacrifices to the gods, called "offering sacrifices to heaven", in order to pray for good weather. This sacrifice to heaven is also different between the north and the south, and northerners pray for rain to prevent drought; Southerners seek more sunshine to prevent floods. Today, many areas still retain the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven on the summer solstice.
Summer solstice custom 4: no shaving and haircut
This was a custom taboo in the Qing Dynasty. According to the records in Qing Jia Lu, "The summer solstice is the turning point, and the sun, the second hour and the last hour are called' three hours', so people should live carefully, forbid curses and shave their heads, which is taboo ..." That is to say, on this special day of the summer solstice, they should live on time, and they are not allowed to swear, and of course, they should not shave. It is said that a haircut on the summer solstice will be bad luck.
Summer solstice custom 5: avoid thunderstorms
People, especially farmers, are most afraid of thunderstorms on the summer solstice. The folk proverb says: "There is thunder in the summer solstice and drought in June; The summer solstice is rainy and hot. " For farmers who depend on the weather to eat, whether it is drought or hot weather, it will affect the harvest of crops. Therefore, in the old days, people hoped that there would be no thunder or rain during the summer solstice.