The Beginning of Summer falls on May 5 or 6 in the Gregorian calendar every year. In 2012, the Beginning of Summer fell on May 5 at 10:20, which is one of the twenty-four solar terms. It marks the departure of spring and the beginning of summer, so this day was also called "Spring End Day" in ancient times, the day when spring ends. Traditionally, people often regard the Beginning of Summer as an important solar term when the temperature rises significantly, the heat is approaching, thunderstorms increase, and crops enter the peak season.

1. Classic Food of Beginning of Summer: Beginning of Summer Eggs

Although the traditional food customs of Beginning of Summer across the country have their own characteristics, when it comes to Beginning of Summer, the most classic food is "Beginning of Summer Egg" . The day before the Beginning of Summer, many people start cooking "Beginning of Summer Eggs" at home. They usually boil them with powdered tea leaves or walnut shells. Watching the eggshells slowly turn red, the house is filled with a fragrant aroma. Tea eggs should be eaten while they are hot. When eating, pour some good wine and sprinkle some fine salt inside. The wine is fragrant and the tea is fragrant, fragrant and delicious.

Besides eating eggs, there are other ways to play. From the boiled eggs, pick out the whole ones that are not broken, weave them into egg covers with colorful threads, and hang them on the children's chest or on the tent. The children also have to hold on to the Beginning of Summer eggs (that is, touch them), which is the happiest and most exciting thing of the day. The winner is to hold on to the eggs if the shells are strong and not broken. Why do we eat "Lixia eggs" during the Beginning of Summer? The custom of "eating eggs at the beginning of summer" has a long history. As the saying goes: "If you eat eggs in the Beginning of Summer, the hot weather will not make summer miserable." According to legend, from the day of Beginning of Summer, the weather becomes warm and sunny and gradually gets hotter. Many people, especially children, will feel tired and weak in their limbs, lose appetite and gradually lose weight. It's called "Xia Xia". Empress Nuwa told the people that on the day of the Beginning of Summer every year, boiled chicken, duck and goose eggs should be hung on the chests of children to avoid summer heat. Therefore, the custom of eating eggs on the Beginning of Summer has continued to this day.

The ancients believed that round eggs symbolize the perfection of life. Eating eggs at the beginning of summer can pray for peace in summer and withstand the test of "sunsummer". The Beginning of Summer is usually in the fourth month of the lunar calendar. "April eggs are as cheap as vegetables." People boil eggs in leftover "Qijia Tea" to become "tea eggs." Later, people improved the cooking method and added fennel, meat marinade, cinnamon, and minced ginger to "Qijia Tea". From then on, tea eggs were no longer a festive food in the Beginning of Summer, but became one of my country's traditional snacks.

Recommended recipe: Braised five-spice tea eggs

2. The custom of "weighing people" in the Beginning of Summer

An ancient poem goes: "Weighing the weight of people in the Beginning of Summer, weighing the hanging beams "The custom of "calling people" on the day of the Beginning of Summer is mainly popular in southern my country and originated in the Three Kingdoms period: Legend has it that after Liu Bei's death, Zhuge Liang handed his son Adou to Zhao Zilong and sent him to Jiangdong, and asked his stepmother to return to his parents' home. Raised by Mrs. Wu Guosun. That day was the beginning of summer, and Mrs. Sun weighed Adou in front of Zhao Zilong. She would weigh him again at the beginning of the next year to see how much he had gained, and then write a letter to report to Zhuge Liang, thus forming a custom that was spread to the people. It is said that after weighing yourself on this day, you will not be afraid of the summer heat and will not lose weight, otherwise you will be plagued by diseases. After eating the Beginning of Summer meal, a large scale is hung on the crossbar. Adults hold the scale hook with both hands and weigh their feet in the air; children sit in a basket or on a stool with their legs in the air and hang on the scale hook to weigh their weight. This is called Weighing in the Beginning of Summer can avoid summer. If the weight increases, it is called "putting on weight"; if the weight decreases, it is called "losing weight". On this day, children should not sit on the stone steps. If they do, they should sit on the stone steps for seven times before all diseases can be dissipated. Avoid sitting on the ground locust (threshold), as it is said that sitting on the ground locust on this day will cause soreness in the foot bones in summer. If you sit on one locust, you must sit on six more locusts to form a number of seven to relieve the nightmare. In the old days, mothers would choose this day to pierce the ears of girls. While doing so, they would coax the children to eat tea eggs. When the children opened their mouths to bite the eggs, the needle would be pierced. There are also people who pierce the ears of domestic cats and wear red headbands. As early as ancient times, kings often went outside the city to welcome summer in the first days of summer. The day to welcome summer was the Beginning of Summer.

3. List of Lixia food customs in various places

What to eat during Lixia has different answers in various parts of our country. Different regions have different food cultures. Let’s take a look with the editor. What do you eat on the Beginning of Summer in various parts of China~~~

What do you eat on the Beginning of Summer in Shanghai?

During the Beginning of Summer Festival, farmers in suburban counties of Shanghai take wheat flour and sugar to make inch-long strips of food, called wheat silkworms. People eat them to avoid the "summer heat". The green and tender grass heads from the Beginning of Summer are mixed with rice flour and fried into pancakes, called "tan cakes", which are a favorite food of people in Shanghai and Pudong areas. Sugar plums, fermented glutinous rice, salted eggs, etc. are also considered as seasonal foods, which are called seasonal foods. They are tasted and called "three new foods".

Relevant customs of "What to eat on the Beginning of Summer" in other places:

1. Wuxi folk have always had the custom of eating three delicacies on the Beginning of Summer

Three delicacies are divided into three delicacies according to the region. , three delicacies of trees and three delicacies of water. The three delicacies of the ground are broad beans, amaranth, and cucumbers (some say they are amaranth, wheat, and broad beans; others say they are amaranth, broad beans, and garlic seedlings); the three delicacies of the trees are cherries, loquats, and apricots (one say they are plums, apricots, and cherries, It is also said to be plums, cherries, and toon heads); the three delicacies of water are sea clams, pufferfish, and anchovies (one says it is anchovy, pomfret, and yellow croaker, while others say it is anchovy, whitebait, and anchovy). Among them, tasting the three delicacies of the ground is the most common. In some places, there is a custom of eating moldy tofu in the Beginning of Summer. It is said that if you eat moldy tofu, you will not be unlucky.