Lixia is the first of the twenty-four solar terms in summer, indicating the official start of the summer season, the sun reaches 45 degrees of the yellow meridian for the Lixia festival, then the following to share with you on the origins of Lixia and the introduction of customs, welcome to read!

The origin of Lixia

According to folklore experts, Lixia is an important festival in ancient China, and experts point out that many ancient festivals and their customs are derived from rituals, and of course, "Lixia" is no exception. According to some information, "summer" appeared the earliest is also derived from the ancient rituals, in the Zhou Dynasty, the people of the gods of the sacrifice is no longer daily in a fixed moment, but will be the time of sacrifice for the change of seasons, such as: spring, spring equinox, summer, summer solstice, autumn, autumn equinox, winter, winter solstice.

According to the record of the "seventy-two waiting for the month": "Li, build the beginning of also, summer, false also, false, large also, things to this time are false large also." That is, in the summer this time, the end of spring, the beginning of summer, so some places and the "summer" is called "the end of spring day".

In the Zhou Dynasty, after the gradual formation of the seasonal change in the sacrifice to the gods, as a country of the Lord of the Zhou Emperor is the need to pro-day presided over the sacrificial rites, the "Book of Rites" has such a record: the day of the summer, the Prince of Heaven pro rate of the three dukes, the nine ministers, the vassals, the Great Physician, to welcome the summer in the southern suburb.

Summer customs

Eggs in summer

Although the traditional food customs of the day of the summer across the country have their own characteristics, but when it comes to the day of the summer of the most classic food is the "summer eggs". The day before the summer, many people began to cook "summer eggs" at home, usually with tea leaves or walnut shells to cook, watching the egg shells slowly turn red, full of fragrant house. Tea eggs should be eaten while hot, eat when pouring good wine, sprinkle some fine salt inside, wine and tea, and fragrant and flavorful.

"Summer to eat eggs" custom has a long history. As the saying goes, "Eat the egg in the summer, hot days are not resistance to summer." According to legend, from the day of summer, the weather is warm and sunny, and gradually hot, many people, especially children, will have the feeling of physical fatigue and weakness of the limbs, loss of appetite and gradually lose weight, called "Resistance and Propulsion". Mother Nuwa told the people, every year on the day of summer, children's chest hung on the boiled eggs of chickens, ducks and geese, can be avoided Resistance to summer. Therefore, the custom of eating eggs at the summer festival has continued until now.

Ancient people believe that the egg is round, round and smooth, symbolizing the success of life, eat eggs on the day of summer to pray for the peace of summer, the test of "resistance to summer". Summer generally in the lunar calendar in April, "April eggs as cheap as vegetables", people put the eggs into the leftover "seven tea" boiled and burned into the "tea eggs". Later, people improved the cooking method, in the "seven tea" in the addition of fennel, meat brine, cinnamon, ginger, from now on, tea eggs is no longer a summer festival food, and has become one of China's traditional snacks.

Fighting eggs

Summer Festival, adults with silk thread braided into an egg set, filled with hard-boiled eggs and duck eggs, hanging on the neck of small children. Resistance and propulsion rope that long life strand, with five-color silk thread tied to the child's wrist and other places for its disaster and pray for blessings, to eliminate summer heat and disease, in order to prevent the note summer.

At noon in the beginning of summer, every family boiled whole eggs (eggs with shells boiled, can not be broken), soaked in cold water for a few minutes and then set on a long time ago to weave a good silk net bag, hanging on the neck of the child. The children will be in groups of three or five, to fight the egg game. Eggs are divided into two ends, the pointed one is the head and the round one is the tail. Some also paint patterns on the egg, children compete with each other, known as the egg fight. Egg fight egg head fight egg head, egg tail hit egg tail. One by one, one by one, the broken one admit defeat, and finally divided into high and low. Egg head winner for the first, the egg called king; egg tail winner for the second, the egg called small king or two king. Proverb: "Hang eggs on the chest in summer, children do not resist summer" Resistance and propulsion is common in summer, anorexia, fatigue and emaciation, children are especially susceptible to resistance and propulsion. Resistance and propulsion rope is a long-life strand, which is tied to a child's wrist with a five-color silk thread to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings, and to eliminate summer heat and illnesses, so as to prevent the summer from being injected.

Weighing People

An old poem says: "Weighing people at the beginning of the summer, the scale hangs on the beam and laughs at the noisy girl." The summer of the "weighing people" custom is mainly popular in the south of China, originated in the Three Kingdoms era: Legend has it that after the death of Liu Bei, Zhu Geliang his son Adou to Zhao Zilong sent to Jiangdong, and asked his mother, has returned to her mother's home in Wu, Mrs. Sun to raise. That day is the beginning of summer, Mrs. Sun in front of Zhao ZiLong to Ah Dou weigh, the next year, the beginning of summer and weigh again to see how much weight increase, and then write to Zhuge Liang, thus forming the folk custom. It is said that after weighing on this day, you will not be afraid of the summer heat and will not lose weight, otherwise you will be sick. After eating the summer meal, hang a large scale on the beam, adults pull the hook with both hands, two feet hanging weight; children sitting in baskets or four feet to the sky on the stool, hanging on the hook weighing, said summer scale can be free of Resistance and Resistance to summer. If the weight increase, said "Fafu", weight loss, said "eliminate meat".

Legends, of course, can not be fully believed, but the summer "weighing people" custom in some areas of the ancient times is undoubtedly flourishing. From the scattered folklore data, summer "weighing people" operation has two categories. One is outdoors, hanging scales in the trees, mostly to the elderly children weighing, in order to test the year's fertility; the other is carried out in the household, hanging scales in the beams of the house, by the women weighing each other, fat on thin, laughing and joking, like a game in the boudoir - Cai Yun, "Wu Covet" poem has evidence: "The wind opens the embroidered pavilion The wind opens the embroidered pavilion and raises the robe, recognizing it as a swing play but not. The official scale for hanging the measure of talent, assessing the swallow thin and ring fat."

The weather characteristics of the Lixia Festival

The weather characteristics of the Lixia Festival: hot summer will come, thunderstorms increase

According to climatological standards, the average daily temperature steadily rose above 22 ℃ for the beginning of summer, before and after the "Lixia", China is only the first time. Fuzhou to the south of the South Ridge line south of the real summer, while the northeast and northwest of the part of the country at this time has just entered the spring, most of the country's average temperature in the 18 - 20 ℃ up and down. The rest of southern China, the temperature is about 20 ℃; and low altitude valleys as early as early in mid-April early summer heat, summer temperature has reached 24 ℃ or more.

After the beginning of summer, Jiangnan officially entered the rainy season, the amount of rain and rainy days are significantly more. Spring, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter storage, summer is the best season for many crops to grow vigorously, sufficient light and suitable temperature and abundant rainfall to provide the necessary conditions for plants. Monsoon climate is the main feature of China's climate. In summer, under the influence of warm and humid air currents from the ocean, it is hot, humid and rainy, with rain and heat at the same time, which is conducive to the growth of crops. Crops enter a stage of vigorous growth in the summer.

After the beginning of summer, North China, Northwest China and other places, the temperature rises very quickly, but precipitation is still not much, coupled with the spring windy, evaporation is strong, the atmosphere is dry and the soil drought is often serious impact on the normal growth of crops.

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