Beijing, March 20 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) "On the fourth day of the first half of spring, the spring color is in the middle. "In the twenty-four solar terms, the spring equinox is a relatively important time node, and there are many interesting customs such as "eating spring vegetables" in the folk.
"Egg stick" games, proofreading and weights and measures... How much do you know about the Spring Equinox?
What are the three seasons of the vernal equinox?
The vernal equinox is one of the twenty-four solar terms, and as the temperature gradually rises, many places warm up.
Data map: Beijing Ritan Park reproduces the Qing Dynasty Ritan Festival. China News Service reporter Jia Tianyong photographed
In ancient China, the spring equinox was divided into three seasons: "one waits for the birds to arrive; the second waits for thunder to sound; and the third waits for the first electricity." Here the "bird" refers to the swallow, the spring equinox comes, the swallows begin to fly back from the south, and when it rains the sky will thunder and send lightning.
In addition, the flower letter represented by the three spring equinoxes is: "One waits for begonias, two waits for pear blossoms, and three waits for magnolias." ”
According to the time of the arrival of the solar terms, it is an ancient seasonal custom to hold a solemn ceremony in a specific direction. The Book of Rites records: "The day of the sacrifice is at the altar. According to Kong Yingda's annotation, it is "the vernal equinox also".
The rituals of the festival are often quite solemn. In the Qing Dynasty Pan Rongxi's "Ji Sheng in the Age of Emperor Jing", it is mentioned: "The spring equinox festival day and the autumn equinox festival are the great ceremonies of the country, and the people are not allowed to worship without permission." ”
Wang Juan, a homestay expert, said that in the past, the ritual of worshipping the day was mainly an official act, and the folk generally worshipped their ancestors at the spring equinox, but this custom was not common. In addition, the spring equinox is a festival, not a traditional festival.
How does the "Vertical Egg" game work?
Among the many customs of the spring equinox, "erecting eggs" and "eating spring vegetables" are more interesting.
"Vertical Egg" is a popular game: take a fresh egg, try more, and finally find a way to put it on the table, that is, success.
In this regard, Wang Juan said that in the past, people thought that eggs were related to the growth and reproduction of all things in the spring, and the equinox was equally divided between day and night during the spring equinox, which was more conducive to finding a balance point to stand up the eggs, so the spring equinox would have such a custom.
Infographic: Children experience customs such as painting eggs and standing eggs on the spring equinox. Photo by Meng Delong
In addition, the ancients would also proofread the weights and measures on this day to take the meaning of fairness.
At the spring equinox, there are also door-to-door delivery of spring cattle. It is said that the picture is to print the red or yellow paper on the lunar calendar of the whole year, and also to print the pattern of the farmer's ploughing field. The person who sends the picture will also say some auspicious words about spring ploughing.
In addition, some people will cook some tangyuan to eat, and then cook a dozen tangyuan without "filling", put them on the edge of the field, and call it "sticky sparrow mouth" to prevent them from destroying crops.
"In terms of diet, some places will eat 'scrambled eggs with spring vegetables', and the spring vegetables here are generally cabbage." Wang Juan mentioned that the ancients believed that eating spring vegetables also conveyed people's good wishes for the safety and happiness of the family.
"The spring equinox with rain is a good year"
In fact, the spring equinox in ancient times also had many other names, such as "day and night", "day and night equinox", "mid-spring moon" and so on.
According to the Ming Chronicle I, "The point where the yellow and red intersect, the sun travels to this point, is divided equally between day and night." Because it is closely related to agricultural activities, the folk have also left behind the saying that "the spring equinox has no rain to cultivate the field" and "the spring equinox has rain is a good year".
In addition to diet and games, there are many other customs around the characteristics of the spring equinox. However, over time, some of the folklore and ritual activities that originally belonged to the spring equinox were gradually incorporated into other important spring-related activities.
Wang Juan mentioned that in the twenty-four solar terms, the spring equinox is not as important as the winter solstice and Qingming, but it is also a relatively critical time node and is of great significance to agricultural production. (End)