On June 21, the fourth solar term of summer, the summer solstice, coincides with the 90 degrees ecliptic longitude, when the sun reaches 90 degrees of ecliptic longitude and enters the summer solstice. The summer solstice, also known as the "Summer Festival", is one of the earliest of the twenty-four solar terms to be determined. In the literature before the Han Dynasty, it is recorded as "Yang Ri", "Ri Yong" and "Day Long To", and the descriptions are all related to the sun, taking the meaning of the longest day. The ancients once recorded: "The sun is north to the solstice, the day is long to the solstice, the sun shadow is short, so it is called the summer solstice." To the extreme, also. ”
"The sundial sun is already cloudy, and the night leak has been long since then." Tang Zhiqiang, deputy director of the 24 solar terms research center of the China Agricultural Museum, introduced that on the day of the summer solstice, the farther north the northern hemisphere goes, the longer the day. According to the data, the day length of Haikou City in Hainan Province is about 13 hours or more, the day length in Hangzhou Is about 14 hours, the day length in Beijing is about 15 hours, and the day length in Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province can reach more than 17 hours. "On the day of the summer solstice, the daytime reaches the longest time of the year, after which the day gradually shortens and the night gradually lengthens."
The summer solstice is hot, what is the point of avoiding the summer?
It's the height of summer at the height of summer. "Mid-summer is often accompanied by severe heat, and the summer solstice is several heads." Tang Zhiqiang said that after the summer solstice, the weather entered the hottest season, the ancients called it "Volts", and today people call them "Three Volts". "Volt" means that yin qi is forced by yang qi and hides in the ground. Taking the "summer solstice" as the starting point, the third Geng day after the summer solstice enters the first volt, the fourth Geng day is the middle volt, and the first Geng day after the autumn is the last volt, each 10 days, called "three volt days", about mid-July and mid-August.
Summer cicadas chirp. Photo by Peng Xumeng
Three volt days appear between the small summer and the heat, the subtropical high pressure strengthens, the sinking air flow inside the high pressure makes the weather clear and cloudless, the sun shines fiercely, the weather is hotter, there is "hot in three volts, cold in three nine" said. Tang Zhiqiang said that in ancient times, the mainland had the custom of counting "summer nine nine" on the summer solstice, starting from the summer solstice day, and every nine days was a nine, which was called one nine and two nine in turn... Until ninety-nine, these 81 days are the days of the year from hot to cold, and after counting ninety-nine, the hot summer has passed.
An interview with The Economic and Social Jun found that there is a song "Xia JiuJiu" that is more common in the northern region: 19 to 29, the fan does not leave the hand; Thirty-nine twenty-seven, ice water as sweet as honey; Forty-nine thirty-six, clothes drenched in sweat; Five-nine-forty-five, tree head breeze dance; Six nine fifty-four, cool off too late; Seven nine sixty-three, night sleep does not cover the list; Eighty-nine-seventy-two, beware of wind chills; Ninety-nine eighty-one, the family looking for cotton clothes.
Anhui Bozhou gift folding fan to send cool
In addition to the number nine to cool off, in order to cool down, the ancients gave full play to their wisdom: during the Western Han Dynasty, the utensil craftsmen in the capital Chang'an, in order to dispel the heat, connected 7 large wheels with a length of one inch to make a huge "seven-wheel fan", which can achieve the effect of "one person's luck, full of cold". In addition, the ancients also invented the water pavilion, in which mechanically transmitted refrigeration equipment is installed, sending cold water to the roof, allowing it to go straight down along the eaves, forming an artificial water curtain, stirring up cool air, and the effect is comparable to that of an air-conditioned room.
Since the beginning of the summer solstice, the folk have had customs such as "eliminating summer and avoiding ambushes" and "clearing up". On the day of the summer solstice, ancient women gave each other folding fans, fat powder, etc. People generally eat qingtong cold soup, herbal tea, sour plum soup, etc. to escape the heat. Cao Pi once described the scene of people in the Wei and Jin Dynasties "floating sweet melons in clear springs, sinking Zhu Li in cold water" to escape the summer. Others will choose to go to some cool resorts with pleasant scenery to escape the heat.
Precipitation is abundant and worth thousands of dollars, and the summer solstice is also called "water festival"
Tang Zhiqiang said that during the summer solstice, rainfall increases, especially in the Jianghuai region is entering the rainy season, which is the most precipitation-inducing of the twenty-four solar terms, so people also call the summer solstice "water festival". In addition, after the summer solstice, there will often be thunderstorms in the evening, coming fast and going fast, and the rainfall range is relatively small, people call it "summer rain across the field". That is to say, it is possible that it will rain on one side of the field and not on the other side, as described in the ancient poem "rain on the east side of the sunrise and the west side".
During the summer solstice, the sunshine is sufficient, the temperature continues to rise, the crops grow rapidly, and the demand for precipitation is large, and there is a saying that "the summer solstice rain point is worth thousands of gold". "The summer solstice is full of water, and the autumn barn is full of barns." Tang Zhiqiang said that this is the peak harvest season for early rice harvesting, cotton buds and vegetables and fruits, and it is the period when crop water is most critical.
Tang Zhiqiang said that in southern China and eastern China, drought is prone to drought after the summer solstice, and in order to enhance drought resistance and ensure harvest, it is also an important measure to promote crop yields before the ambush. The summer solstice rainfall is extremely abundant, which is the best time to store water, and "storing water when idle" reflects the wisdom of the working people in ancient China.
Volunteers from Xingzhuang Township, Weishi County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, help farmers water corn seedlings in Yinzhuang Village on June 19. Photo by Li Xinyi
During the summer solstice, crops enter a period of growth, and farmers should manage and protect crops in time. Tang Zhiqiang said that after the summer solstice, spring-sown corn and summer-sown corn have also entered different growth periods, and it is crucial to strengthen the water and fertilizer management of corn. The agricultural proverb says that "corn sees iron, a long section in one night", the "iron" here is a hoe and other weeding tools, which means that if you want corn to grow well, you must give corn more loose soil and hoe grass.
Winter solstice dumplings summer solstice noodles, how to eat the most seasonal?
The summer solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms on the mainland, and it is also a traditional festival in the ancient folk "four hours and eight festivals", which had to take a 3-day holiday in ancient times. Tang Zhiqiang said that there are many customs on the summer solstice, and many cultural customs reflect the meaning of yin and yang. The festival, the measurement of the sun, the ancestor worship, the lotus viewing, the aurora viewing, and the summer solstice noodles, eating ginger, and eating wontons in the diet all have the meaning of turning.
Since ancient times, there has been a custom of celebrating the summer grain harvest and sacrificing ancestors at the time of the summer solstice to pray for the elimination of disasters and good years. The Zhou Li Chun Guan (周礼春官) says: "With the summer solstice, to the local objects." "Tang Zhiqiang introduced that since the Zhou Dynasty, every summer solstice day, the imperial court has held a solemn ceremony in the form of song, dance and music, praying for the elimination of famine and hunger, hoping that the wind and rain will be smooth and the country will be safe." Nowadays, around the summer solstice, some places hold a grand 'summer wheat', which is the remnant of ancient celebrations. ”
Summer Solstice Writing (Courtesy of China Character Museum)
"Winter solstice dumplings summer solstice noodles." Tang Zhiqiang said that when eating, this proverb refers to the specific eating customs of the two solar terms of the winter solstice and the summer solstice, reflecting the traditional wisdom of the Chinese. During the summer solstice, to celebrate the harvest, relieve hunger and eat fresh, ancient people pay attention to the concept of "not eating from time to time", to eat the freshest seasonal ingredients. "The summer solstice is the season when the new wheat is harvested after the mango planting, when the wheat is fresh and nutritious."
Eating "summer solstice noodles" on the summer solstice also reminds people to pay attention to the meaning of heat prevention and cooling. On this day, some places will also eat some cold food, cold pottery noodles (also known as water surface) is the most common one. Cold noodles were very popular as early as the Tang and Song dynasties, and Du Fu wrote about the feeling of eating cold noodles in a poem called "Cold Tao of Locust Leaves", and there is a sentence in the poem that "the teeth are colder than snow". According to books such as "Tokyo Dream Hualu", there were also "silver wire cold tao" and "silk chicken tao" on the two beijing restaurants in the Song Dynasty, and silk chicken tao is chicken cold noodles.
Tang Zhiqiang said that in addition to pasta, during the summer solstice, there are a large number of fresh vegetables, melons and fruits on the market, and there are many fruit and vegetable styles to choose from, and the mouth is full of happiness.
"Eating a lychee on the summer solstice is harmless for a year." The summer solstice is the season of lychee harvest, Tang Zhiqiang said, lychee belongs to the warmth, moderate consumption of lychee can solve stagnation, but also increase appetite. Guangzhou and Guangxi Qinzhou, Yulin and other regions are very fond of eating lychees on the summer solstice. Su Shi was once associated with lychee and expressed his love for lychee in poems many times. "Three hundred litchi in a day, do not quit being a Lingnanian", is the most prestigious sentence. However, experts also remind us that lychees should not be consumed too much in daily life, and excessive consumption can easily cause hypoglycemia.
Today's summer solstice, have you got these knowledge points?
Chang Yangyang's paper-cut work "Summer Solstice" (provided by Henan Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Wisdom Center)