The customs and diet of the twenty-four solar terms:

1. The beginning of spring, commonly known as "Dachun". The old custom of the beginning of spring is not only an ancient solar term, but also a major festival. On the first day of spring, the emperor will personally lead the princes and officials to welcome the spring in the eastern suburbs and carry out the order of charity and charity. On the first day of spring, the village elects an old man to symbolically hit the spring cow three times with a whip, which means the beginning of the year's farming. Folk artists make many small clay cows, which are called "spring cows".

Sending them to various homes is called "sending spring". The master will reward those who "send spring". It is essentially a festive sales event, but everyone is happy. In some places, a yellow paper with a spring cow picture is posted on the wall. Yellow represents the land, and the spring cow represents farming. It is commonly known as the "Spring Cow Picture". During the Spring Festival, it is customary for people to eat radish, ginger, green onions and flour cakes, which is called "biting spring".

2. Rainwater not only represents the beginning of rainfall and the increase in rainfall, but also represents the increase in temperature. Before the rain, the weather was relatively cold. After the rain, the spring breeze brings warmth, and disease-causing bacteria and viruses are easily spread by the wind, so infectious diseases are often prone to outbreaks in spring. You should protect yourself, pay attention to physical exercise, enhance your resistance, and prevent the occurrence of diseases.

During the rain solar term, the moisture in the ground gradually rises, and dew and frost appear in the morning. Therefore, in response to such climate characteristics, dietary maintenance should focus on nourishing the spleen and stomach and dispelling wind and dampness. And because the climate is cooler at this time, you can take appropriate supplements, such as honey, jujubes, yam, tremella, etc., which are all suitable for this solar term.

3. The Waking of Insects symbolizes the beginning of February. There will be a thunder to wake up all hibernating snakes, insects, rats, and ants. The reptiles and ants in the home will rise up again in response to the sound and look for food everywhere. Therefore, on the day of the Awakening of Insects in ancient times, people would hold scented incense and mugwort and smoke them in the four corners of their homes to drive away snakes, insects, mosquitoes, rats and musty smells. Over time, it gradually evolved into the habit of slapping the enemies of those who were unhappy and driving away bad luck. It is also the predecessor of "beating the villain".

During the Waking of Insects season, the weather turns warm and cold, and the climate is relatively dry, which can easily cause dryness of the mouth and exogenous cough. Raw pears are cold in nature and sweet in taste. They have the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving coughs, nourishing yin and clearing away heat. There is a folk custom of eating pears in the wake of stinging. In addition, cough patients can also eat lotus seeds, loquats, Luo Han Guo and other foods to relieve pain. The diet should be light and greasy foods should be avoided. Pungent foods such as peppers, onions, garlic, and peppers should also be eaten less.

4. The vernal equinox is usually on March 20 or 21 in the Gregorian calendar. On the vernal equinox, day and night are equally divided into 12 hours each. The vernal equinox is also the three months of spring (beginning of spring to beginning of summer), dividing spring equally. It is said that "the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox equalize day and night", so the vernal equinox is also called "the middle of the day" and "the day and night equinox".

Start sweeping tombs and worshiping ancestors, also called Spring Festival. In the old days, there was a folk custom of "eating spring vegetables at the spring equinox". Spring vegetables are a kind of wild amaranth, also known as spring green grass. In the Jiangnan area, the custom of rewarding cattle and sacrificing birds was popular.

5. Sweeping tombs during the Qingming Festival and honoring ancestors have a long history and have become a custom. Tomb sweeping is also called tomb offering, sacrificial sweeping, and grave visiting. Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival is because the Waking of Insects and the Spring Equinox have passed, the ice and snow have melted, and vegetation has sprouted. People think about the tombs of their ancestors, whether foxes and rabbits burrowed through them, and whether they will collapse due to the arrival of the rainy season. Therefore, they go to the tombs to On the other hand, we cleared the weeds, trimmed the branches, and added a few shovels of soil to the grave.

On the other hand, prepare some sacrifices, burn some paper money, hang some notes on the branches, and hold a simple sweeping ceremony to express your memory of the deceased. In ancient times, on this day, people would gather with relatives and friends, support the elderly and the young, and take advantage of the great spring weather to go outing in the countryside. There are also many traditional and colorful cultural and sports activities spread around the Qingming Festival, such as tug-of-war, swinging, kite flying, polo playing, cockfighting and other activities.

6. Grain Rain means "rain produces hundreds of grains". In the Jiangnan area, peonies are commonly known as "Grain Rain flowers" because they bloom during the Grain Rain Festival, so there is a proverb of "Looking at peonies during the three dynasties of Grain Rain". Wherever there are flowers, ladies and gentlemen visit, feast, and enjoy the flowers, which is called "Flower Party." For fishermen, it is a popular custom to worship the sea during Guyu Festival.

There is a custom of picking tea during Guyu in the south. It is said that drinking tea on Guyu will clear fire, ward off evil spirits, and improve eyesight. So no matter what the weather is like on Guyu day, people will go to the tea mountains to pick some new tea and come back to drink it.

7. Beginning of Summer. In the old days, red beans, soybeans, black beans, green beans, mung beans and other five-color beans were mixed with white japonica rice to cook "five-color rice" in the countryside. Later, it evolved into Japanese bean meat cooked with glutinous rice. There is amaranth and yellow croaker soup, which is called "beginning of summer rice". Eggs boiled in black tea or walnut shells are called "Lixia eggs" and given to each other.

Weave an egg cover with colorful threads and hang it on the child's chest or on the tent. Children usually play an egg-eating and egg-fighting game, in which they hold on to the Beginning of Summer eggs and win if the eggshells are strong but not broken. As the saying goes: "If eggs are hung on the breasts of Beginning of Summer, children will not suffer from summer fever." Swallowed summer is a common abdominal disease in summer. Anorexia, fatigue and weight loss, especially children in summer. There are also five-color silk threads used to tie children's hand ropes, called "Lixia ropes".

8. Xiaoman, there is a folk proverb in South China of "Xiaoman, Daman, rivers are full", which reflects the climate characteristics of this region with heavy rainfall. The temperature has increased significantly, and the rainfall has increased. After it rains, the temperature will drop sharply, so be careful to wear more clothes and avoid catching a cold due to cold or wind.

Xiaoman is a prone period for wet skin diseases, so the diet should be based on fresh and light vegetarian food. Foods that can clear away dampness and heat are often eaten, such as adzuki beans, mung beans, winter melon, cucumber, and day lily. , cress, black fungus, carrots, tomatoes, etc.

9. Ear sprout means mature crops with awns such as wheat. The custom of offering sacrifices to the God of Flowers on Ear Grain Day. There is a custom of boiling plums during the awn season. This custom has been around since the Xia Dynasty. There are many ways to cook plums. The simple one is to cook the plums with sugar or mix the sugar and dried green plums evenly to extract the plum juice.

You can also boil the plums with salt or mix the salt with the sun-dried green plums to extract the plum juice. The more sophisticated ones also add perilla to it. The black plum produced in northern my country is very famous. Boil it with licorice, hawthorn and rock sugar to make a good summer treat - sour plum soup.

10. Summer Solstice, although this day has the longest day and the highest sun angle, it is not the hottest time of the year. The summer solstice is the earliest festival in our country. Before the Qing Dynasty, the whole country had a day off on the summer solstice, so people could go home and have a drink with their loved ones. There is a popular saying in Guangdong that "dogs can't hide in the summer solstice."

There is a local saying that eating dog meat on the summer solstice can dispel evil spirits, replenish the body, and resist plague. "Eat a dog on the summer solstice, and the west wind will take a detour." The general idea is that as long as a person eats dog meat on the summer solstice, his body will be able to resist the invasion of the west wind and rain, and he will have fewer colds and good health. It is based on this good wish that the unique folk food culture of "Summer Solstice Dog Meat" was created.

11. Xiaoshu. In the past, there was a folk custom of "eating new rice" after Xiaoshu. That is, after the Xiaoshu, farmers would grind the newly cut rice into rice, prepare rice to offer sacrifices to the grain god and ancestors, and then people would People eat and taste new wines and so on. It is said that "eating new" means "eating Xin", which is the first Xin day after Xiaoshu Festival. Cities generally buy a small amount of new rice and cook it with the old rice, plus newly-launched vegetables, etc.

Therefore, there is a folk saying that people eat millet during the mild summer heat and eat rice during the severe summer heat. As the saying goes: Xiaoshu eel is better than ginseng. Monopterus eels are born in mud caves on the waterfront, and summer eels, which are eaten one month before and after Slight Heat, are the most nutritious and delicious. Summer is often the remission period for chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. Monopterus eel is warm in nature and sweet in taste, and has the functions of replenishing qi, liver and spleen, removing rheumatism, and strengthening muscles and bones.

According to the theory of winter disease and summer supplementation, the most suitable thing to eat during the Slight Summer Season is eel. The protein content of eel is higher, the iron content is more than twice that of carp and yellow croaker, and it contains a variety of minerals and vitamins. Monopterus eel can also reduce the concentration of cholesterol in the blood, prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases caused by arteriosclerosis, and also has a good effect on diarrhea caused by indigestion.

12. Great Heat, usually on July 22 or 23 in the Gregorian calendar. Shu means hot, and Great Heat is the hottest time of the year. Tonify Sanjiu in winter and Sanfu in summer. The nutritional content of poultry meat is mainly protein, followed by fat, microorganisms and minerals. Compared with livestock meat, it is a low-fat and high-protein food, and its protein is also a high-quality protein.

Poultry such as chickens, ducks, and pigeons are all good choices for tonic during hot weather. . Taiwanese proverb: Eat pineapples during the hot summer, which means pineapples are the most delicious during this season.

13. Beginning of Autumn, usually on August 7 or 8 in the Gregorian calendar.

Autumn means the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. On the first day of autumn in the Zhou Dynasty, the emperor personally led the princes and officials to the western suburbs to welcome the autumn and hold a sacrificial ceremony. This custom was followed in the Han Dynasty, and animals were killed as sacrifices to express the coming of autumn and the promotion of war. There is a folk custom of divining whether the weather will be hot or cold at the beginning of autumn.

Folk proverb: Plant eggplants at the beginning of summer and eat eggplants at the beginning of autumn. The beginning of autumn is a good time to eat eggplant. According to folk custom, the day before the beginning of autumn, melons, steamed preserved eggplants, fragrant glutinous soup, etc. are placed in the yard to dry overnight and eaten on the day of the beginning of autumn.

14. Before and after the summer heat, there will be folk activities to celebrate the Ghost Festival, commonly known as "July Half" or "Hungry Ghost Festival". In the old days, folk people would have a ceremony to open the gate of ghosts from the beginning of July, and until the gate of ghosts was closed at the end of July, there would be a Purdue Almsgiving activity.

It is said that the Purdue activity starts with opening the ghost gate, then erecting lanterns and setting off river lanterns to attract lonely souls; while the main body is building the Purdue altar, erecting solitary sheds, interspersed with robbing orphans, etc., and finally shutting down ghosts. The door ends. Today, it has become a major activity period for ancestor worship. ? Worshiping ancestors and welcoming autumn. Folk customs before and after the summer solar term are mostly related to worshiping ancestors and welcoming autumn.

15. Bailu, around September 7th in the Gregorian calendar every year is Bailu. The temperature is starting to drop and the weather is getting cooler. Yang Qi reaches its peak at the summer solstice, when the extremes of things must reverse, Yin Qi also rises at this time. When it comes to the White Dew, the Yin Qi gradually increases, and the dew in the morning thickens and condenses into a layer of white water droplets, so it is called White Dew.

The Bailu solar term is the beginning of the real cool season. When taking care of the body, many people blindly emphasize the supplementation of seafood, meat and other nutrients, while ignoring the seasonal susceptibility to diseases, causing serious consequences to themselves and their families. In order to avoid damage to the body, nasal diseases, asthma and bronchitis should be avoided during the Bailu solar term. You should eat less or no fish, shrimp, fish, raw, cold, broiled, pickled vegetables, spicy, sour, salty, sweet and fat foods.

16. The autumnal equinox is usually on September 22 or 23 every year. The climate in the south begins with autumn from this solar term. According to the lunar calendar, "Beginning of Autumn" is the beginning of autumn and "Frost Descent" is the end of autumn, and the "Autumnal Equinox" is exactly half of the 90 days from Beginning of Autumn to Frost Descent. During the autumnal equinox, the folk custom of "erecting eggs" is held in many areas of my country.

17. During the cold dew season, autumn has entered in Nanling and the vast areas north of it, and winter has entered or is about to enter in the northeast and northwest regions. Except for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where snow falls all year round, snowfall has generally begun in the Northeast and northern Xinjiang.

The cold dew diet should be based on a balanced diet of five flavors and based on individual specific conditions. Eat more sweet, light and nourishing foods, which can not only nourish the spleen and stomach, but also nourish the lungs and intestines, and can prevent and treat dry throat and mouth. Dryness and other symptoms. Fruits include pears, persimmons, bananas, etc.; vegetables include carrots, wax gourd, lotus root, white fungus, etc., as well as beans, fungi, kelp, seaweed, etc.

You should eat warm food for breakfast, preferably hot medicinal porridge, because japonica rice and glutinous rice have excellent effects on strengthening the spleen and stomach and replenishing qi, such as sugar cane porridge, polygonatum odorifera porridge, ginseng porridge, Raw rehmannia porridge, Huangjing porridge, etc. Middle-aged and elderly people and chronic patients should eat more red dates, lotus seeds, yams, duck, fish, meat and other foods.

18. Frost's Descent means that the weather is getting colder and frost begins to fall. On October 23 or 24 of the Gregorian calendar, when the sun is at 210° of ecliptic longitude, frost falls, which is the last solar term of autumn. During the frost season, health care is particularly important. There is a proverb among the people, "It is better to replenish the body in a year than to replenish the frost", which shows the impact of this solar term on us. The Frost Festival is the peak period for the recurrence of chronic gastritis and gastroduodenal ulcers.

The elderly are also very susceptible to "old cold legs" (knee osteoarthritis), and chronic bronchitis is also prone to relapse or worsening. At this time, you should eat more pears, apples, ginkgo, onions, mustard greens (Potherb mustard). Chestnuts have the effects of nourishing the stomach and strengthening the spleen, tonifying the kidneys and strengthening the muscles, promoting blood circulation and stopping bleeding, relieving cough and reducing phlegm. They are a good tonic at this time.

Frost spreads all over vegetation, soil and rocks, commonly known as frost. Vegetables covered by frost, such as spinach and winter melon, taste particularly delicious. Fruits covered by frost, such as grapes, are very sweet. The ancients generally ate both mutton and rabbit meat in autumn. ?

19. The Beginning of Winter not only represents the coming of winter. To be completely speaking, the Beginning of Winter means the beginning of winter, the collection of all things, and the avoidance of the cold.

Beginning of Winter is a major festival in October. During the Han and Wei dynasties, on this day the emperor would personally lead his ministers to welcome the winter weather, commend and compensate the martyrs and their families who sacrificed their lives for the country, ask the deceased to protect their lives, and encourage the people to resist foreign disasters or disasters. The plunder and invasion of hungry bandits.

There are customs among the people such as worshiping ancestors, drinking banquets, and fortune-telling. They offer seasonal delicacies to ancestors to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities as descendants and pray for God to grant a good harvest next year. Farmers themselves also Get rewarded for drinking and resting. Although there is no theory of hibernation among humans, there is a folk custom of beginning winter to make up for the winter.

20. Light snow is a season that reflects weather phenomena. The snow is light and there is no snow on the ground. This is the original meaning of the solar term "Xiaoxue". After a light snowfall, the temperature drops sharply and the weather becomes dry, which is a good time to process bacon. After the light snow solar term, some farmers began to make sausages and bacon to enjoy the delicious food during the Spring Festival.

Eating glutinous rice cakes. In some places in the south, there is also the custom of eating glutinous rice cakes in the tenth month of the lunar calendar. In ancient times, glutinous rice cake was a traditional festival offering in the south. It was first used by farmers to worship the cow god. There is a saying that "in the October Dynasty, glutinous rice cakes are burned in Lulu", which refers to the sacrificial event.

21. Heavy snow refers to the starting time and snow volume level of heavy snowfall during this period. It is the same as light snow, rain, Guyu and other solar terms, which directly reflect precipitation. At this time, there are more people suffering from colds in northern my country. If you can take some Daxue Shun'an Health Decoction, it will be very beneficial to resist the attack of cold evil on the body surface, mouth and nose.

22. The winter solstice was regarded as a major festival. There was a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year", and there is a custom of celebrating the winter solstice. In northern areas, there is a custom of slaughtering sheep and eating dumplings and wontons during the Winter Solstice. In southern areas, there is a custom of eating winter solstice rice balls and winter solstice noodles on this day. Various regions also have the custom of worshiping heaven and ancestors on the winter solstice.

23. Xiaohan usually falls on January 5th or 6th in the Gregorian calendar. Xiaohan means that the weather is already very cold. There is a folk proverb that "a small cold and a big cold will turn the cold into ice balls". Literally, it seems that the Great Cold is colder than the Lesser Cold. In fact, according to meteorological records, the Lesser Cold period is colder than the Great Cold. People often say that "cold is in Sanjiu and hot is in Sanfu", and "Sanjiu" is within the solar term of Xiaohan. Therefore, Xiaohan is the coldest solar term in the whole year.

Young people during this solar term should be careful not to develop acne due to eating too much fatty, sweet, spicy, or spicy food. When we arrived in Xiaohan, people in old Nanjing usually cooked vegetable rice. The contents of vegetable rice are different, but they are all cooked with vegetables and glutinous rice, which is very fragrant and delicious. It is traditional in Guangzhou to eat glutinous rice in the morning of Xiaohan. To avoid being too glutinous, the amount is usually 60 pieces of glutinous rice and 40 pieces of fragrant rice.

24. Dahan is the last solar term among the twenty-four solar terms. The Great Cold occurs around January 20 every year when the sun reaches 300° of ecliptic longitude. It means the weather is very cold and the coldest period is coming. According to our country's customs, especially in rural areas, every Great Winter Festival, people begin to busy removing the old and making new arrangements, pickling New Year's dishes, and preparing New Year's goods.

During the period from the Great Cold to the Beginning of Spring, there are many important folk customs and festivals. Such as tail tooth sacrifice, stove sacrifice and New Year's Eve, etc. Sometimes even the Spring Festival, the largest festival in our country, falls in this solar term. The Dahan solar term is full of joy and joy, and it is a cheerful and relaxing solar term. Extended information

The twenty-four solar terms are an original cultural heritage created by the working people of our country. It can reflect seasonal changes, guide agricultural activities, and affect the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of thousands of households.

Since my country's main political activity centers have been concentrated in the Yellow River Basin since 2000, the twenty-four solar terms were established based on the climate and phenology of this area. Due to the vast territory of our country and the changeable terrain, the twenty-four solar terms are only a reference for many areas.

From the literal meaning of the twenty-four solar terms:

The beginning of spring, the beginning of summer, the beginning of autumn, and the beginning of winter - respectively represent the beginning of the four seasons. "Li" means to start. On the Gregorian calendar, it usually falls around February 4th, May 5th, August 7th and November 7th each year.

Summer solstice and winter solstice - indicate the arrival of summer and winter. "To" means arriving. The summer solstice and winter solstice usually fall on June 21st and December 22nd in the Gregorian calendar every year.

Vernal Equinox and Autumn Equinox - means that the length of day and night are equal. "Divide" means to divide equally.

These two solar terms are generally around March 20 and September 23 of the Gregorian calendar every year.

Rain means the beginning of precipitation and the amount of rain gradually increases. It rains around February 18 every year in the Gregorian calendar.

Awakening of Insects - The sudden movement of spring thunder awakens the animals hibernating in the soil. At this time, the temperature rises quickly, and spring thunder gradually begins to stir. The Waking of Insects falls around March 5 of the Gregorian calendar every year.

Qingming means sunny weather, fresh air, gradually getting warmer, and lush vegetation. Qingming falls on approximately April 5 every year in the Gregorian calendar.

Grain Rain - increased rainfall greatly benefits the growth of cereal crops. Guyu falls around April 20 every year in the Gregorian calendar.

Small full - its meaning is that the grains of summer-ripened crops have begun to fill and become full, but they are not yet mature. They are only slightly full, not yet full. Approximately May 21 of each year is Xiaoman.

Grains of awns - wheat and other awn crops are mature and summer planting begins. Every year around June 5th is the day of Ear Grain.

Small heat, great heat, and extreme heat—shu means hot. The minor summer heat has not yet reached its hottest, the major summer heat is the hottest season, and the summer heat is the day when the summer is coming to an end. They are respectively around July 7th, July 23rd and August 23rd in the Gregorian calendar each year.

White dew - the temperature begins to drop, the weather turns cooler, and there is dew on the grass and trees in the morning. Every year around September 7th in the Gregorian calendar is Bailu.

Cold dew - the temperature is lower, the air has condensed with dew, and it is getting colder. This day usually falls on October 8th every year.

Frost - the weather is getting colder and frost begins. Frost's descent usually occurs on October 23 of each year in the Gregorian calendar.

Light snow, heavy snow - snow begins to fall, light and heavy indicate the degree of snowfall. Light snow falls on November 22 of each year, while heavy snow falls around December 7.

Small Cold and Major Cold - the weather gets colder further, with Minor Cold not yet reaching the coldest level, and Major Cold being the coldest time of the year. The Gregorian calendar January 5 and around the 20th of the month are minor and major cold.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Twenty-Four Solar Terms of the Lunar Calendar