Foods eaten at the beginning of spring in Henan include: spring cakes, spring rolls, spring dishes, radishes, etc. The beginning of spring is the first of the twenty-four solar terms. Li means "beginning"; spring represents warmth and growth. The beginning of spring is one of the "Four Lis". In ancient times, the "Four Lis" refer to the beginning of the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Its agricultural significance is "spring planting, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage".

Festival activities at the beginning of spring: 1. Pasting spring cattle: This custom activity of pasting spring cattle starts before the beginning of spring. According to the traditional practice, the county government (county government) hires good paper-making craftsmen. They gather in the county town before the beginning of spring and carefully make images of spring cows. Generally, bamboo strips are tied to form the skeleton of a cow, spring wood is used as the legs, then paper is pasted on it, and paint is applied to create an image of a cow. As the saying goes, if there is more red and yellow paper, the harvest will be good that year; if it is covered with black paper, the harvest will be poor. Therefore, the county magistrate arranged to use more red and yellow paper to win the support of the people. After the spring ox is pasted, a consecration and eye-dotting ceremony will be held, an incense table will be set up, and people will pay homage.

2. Beat the spring ox: Beat the spring ox, also known as "whip the spring ox" or "whip the native ox". On the first day of spring, the clay spring ox will be broken into pieces. This is a legacy of the farming civilization era. Through the custom of hunting spring cows, farmers are reminded that spring has arrived and they should sow grains in time according to the farming season, praying for a bumper harvest and peace for the country and the people.

The custom of whipping spring is related to praying for a good harvest and is a relatively ancient custom. There are spring cows made of mulberry wood as the skeleton, which are specially used for the customary activity of "spring cow hunting". In order to welcome the spring, first choose a land with good Feng Shui in the suburbs of the county and set up a "spring shed" to prepare for the spring. Spring sheds are usually erected on traffic thoroughfares where people can gather easily. Put colorful flags around.