The summer has not receded, and autumn is coming. On August 7, the first festival of autumn, Liqiu, ushered in, when the sun reached 135 degrees of ecliptic longitude and entered the Liqiu festival. Tang Zhiqiang, deputy director of the 24 Solar Terms Research Center of the China Agricultural Museum, said that the "standing" of liqiu means the beginning, and "autumn" is composed of grass and fire, which means that the grain is ripe. The arrival of the autumn festival not only indicates that the hot summer is about to pass, the cool autumn is coming, but also indicates that the grass and trees begin to bear fruit and enter the harvest season.
The heat is still hot, why is it named "Liqiu"?
The economy and society jun found that during the autumn season, most parts of the country are still summer, but why did the ancients set it as the autumn and never changed it? Tang Zhiqiang said that at this time, the last volt has not yet come out, the three-volt day has not yet ended, and the heat is still unabated. Liqiu is the third hottest solar term among the twenty-four solar terms after the big summer and the small summer. "Autumn tigers will also be threatening, so the autumn rises to the autumn equinox, which is also called 'long summer', and there is a saying that 'autumn is established, and the fan is not lost'."
Everything is predetermined, and if it is not predetermined, it is abolished. The Liqiu Festival is a good embodiment of the foresight of the Chinese ancestors.
"In autumn, for most parts of the mainland, the weather is still hot, and there is still a period of time before the autumn in the meteorological sense. Autumn in the meteorological sense is to focus on the point of temperature, while autumn in the astronomical sense is to focus on the trend of temperature, rain and heat from to harvest, which is the meaning of the ancients' 'heaven and earth began to be suppressed'. Song Yingjie, vice president of the China Institute of Weather and Twenty-Four Solar Terms, said that although the temperature drop is not large, the temperature difference between day and night has become larger, the relative humidity has decreased significantly, and the frequency and rainfall have also undergone major changes. After the autumn festival, the rainfall has weakened significantly, and the climate has changed significantly. "Our somatosensory comfort changes subtly, with a gradual transition from hot and humid to dry. Although it is still very hot and sunny, the breeze can often bring a hint of coolness, just as the ancient poem "move slightly towards the wind and cool, and the summer is still cruel in recent days". ”
Autumn writing. Courtesy of the Museum of Chinese Characters
Autumn equinox three seasons: the first cool breeze to arrive; Second White Dew Falls; Three cold cicadas chirping. Yang Junhui, director of the Research Center of the Chinese Character Museum, said that the oracle bone "Qiu" character resembles a cricket, and there are many crickets in autumn, making a "chirping" sound, so it means the autumn character. In autumn, the plane tree begins to fall leaves, so there is an idiom of "deciduous leaves know autumn". "In the autumn season, the heat is not over, and the real coolness is generally after the White Dew Festival."
Autumn farming, busy to the crops "paste autumn fat"
Around the autumn, the temperature in most parts of the mainland is still high, and various crops are growing vigorously, with medium rice blossoming and fruiting, soybean flowering and fruiting, corn spitting silk, cotton knotting, sweet potato chunks rapidly expanding, and it is in the critical period of fruit breeding of major crops on the mainland.
Tang Zhiqiang said that in the autumn season, the temperature is high and the sunshine is sufficient, and farmers everywhere are busy "pasting autumn fat" on the crops -- seizing the opportunity to fertilize them and water them in time. According to the agricultural proverb, "Three rains in autumn, gold everywhere", if the rain is abundant, the autumn ripening crops will grow luxuriantly and it is easy to obtain high yields. At this time, it is also a period of concentrated harm to crop diseases and insects, and it is necessary to strengthen forecasting and prevention and control to lay a good foundation for a bumper crop harvest.
In autumn, the early autumn crops gradually mature. "The three days of autumn are red everywhere", which means that the sorghum ears will turn from green to red. Tang Zhiqiang said that the history of cultivating sorghum Chinese can be traced back to the Neolithic age. Sorghum was once a "life-saving food" for farmers in North China and was widely planted. "Sorghum is not only resistant to barrenness, but also drought and flood resistant, and can grow in general soil; Sorghum is useful all over the place. Sorghum noodles can be eaten, the leaves are the material for the farmers to steam, the ears can be tied with brushes and brooms, and the sorghum stalks are also a good material for lining the village houses. ”
Around autumn is also the appropriate period for cabbage sowing. Cabbage is a common winter vegetable in northern China and has a long history of cultivation, and cabbage seeds have been unearthed at the site of Banpo Village in Xi'an in the Neolithic period. There are many varieties of cabbage, combined with the climatic conditions, cultivation techniques, and cultivation seasons in various places, farmers have fixed suitable varieties. Su Shi described the cabbage as "like a lamb, and a bear's trampling out of the soil." The famous painter Qi Baishi is also extremely fond of Chinese cabbage, and also created "Cabbage and Pepper".
Li Qiu "bites the autumn", so that eating is seasonal and healthy
According to experts, in the autumn season, not only the crops are pasted with autumn fat, but we humans also need to "paste autumn fat".
However, now that everyone advocates a healthy life and a rich daily diet, do you still need to "stick to the autumn fat"? Tang Zhiqiang explained that "sticking to qiuzhi" is not outdated. For people with lower weight and weak constitutions and the elderly and children, the hot summer has a greater loss for them than the average person, and often loses weight in the summer. After the autumn, the weather gradually turns cooler, at this time people have a great appetite and a better appetite, which is a good time to supplement nutrition and increase health reserves. Through food supplements, it replenishes the nutrients lost in the "bitter summer", drives away the sluggishness of the bitter summer, regulates the state of physical health, and replenishes the spirit.
Tang Zhiqiang suggested that "sticking autumn fat" can not only be big fish and big meat, should choose the autumn supplement program according to their own physique, from the aspects of nourishing yin and dryness, nourishing yin, nourishing qi and blood, etc., to "paste", reasonably supplement the protein, vitamins and other nutrients needed by the human body, control the intake of fat, salt and sugar, so as to enhance the body's resistance.
"Liqiu" is not only an important festival, but also an important festival of the mainland. Tang Zhiqiang said that in ancient times, after the autumn harvest, the people would thank the heavens and their ancestors for their protection, try the newly harvested rice valley, celebrate the harvest of hard work, and pray for the wind and rain in the coming year. On the day of autumn, there are customs such as sticking autumn fat, biting autumn, catching autumn and so on.
"Catch the autumn". "Miao Catching Autumn" is one of the representative projects of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity project "Twenty-four Solar Terms", and is a representative of the liqiu festival folk activities that have been preserved to this day. The Autumn Festival is an important time for the Miao people to celebrate the harvest, sacrifice to the god ceres, thank nature for the gifts and express joy and joy, and the content mainly includes ceremonies or activities such as barricade wine, solitaire, knife and scarf dance, encouragement, playing eight people in autumn, and playing dragon and lion dance.
"Bite the Autumn". Melons, pears and peaches are seasonal products of Autumn. In particular, all kinds of melons contain more water, which is very beneficial for preventing discomfort such as spleen deficiency cold and dampness and spleen deficiency damp heat. In particular, melons mostly have the effect of clearing heat and cooling heat and dampness. Therefore, after the autumn, it is appropriate to eat more loofah, cucumber, winter melon or bitter melon, etc., which can eliminate the summer humidity in the body. "The formation and inheritance of the custom of biting autumn reflects the choice of eating in season and living in harmony with nature." Tang Zhiqiang said.
"Some fruits can be eaten more." Tang Zhiqiang said that pears can moisten the lungs, eliminate phlegm and relieve cough, and are the fruits advocated for eating in autumn. Apples are rich in vitamins and potassium, which are not only beneficial for patients with cardiovascular disease, but also anti-diarrhea. Longan has the effect of nourishing and strengthening, calming the nerves and replenishing blood, and is especially suitable for the elderly who have insomnia at night. Grapes can prevent fatigue, beneficial qi and blood replenishment, stomach diuresis and other effects.
Source: People's Daily Economic and Social WeChat public account