The last solar term of this spring is about to be ushered in, that is, Gu Yu. This year's Guyu solar term is a little different, because the Qingming Festival is on April 4, and the 15th day after the Qingming Festival is Guyu, so it is on April 19, which is a bit earlier than in previous years.
And not only is the solar calendar one day earlier, but the lunar calendar is even earlier, and it is on March 11 that the grain rain solar term will be delivered.
And the older generation also said: "Gu Yu is in the moon, widows don't have to worry", so is Gu Yu in the moon this year? Why is that?
Gu Yu: From "Rain Gives Life to a Hundred Grains"
Guyu, as the last solar term of spring, marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The reason why the ancients named this solar term Guyu is because in the past, in the agricultural society, there was a saying that "rain gives birth to a hundred grains", that is, when this solar term, the rain increased significantly, the climate rebounded, the earth rejuvenated, and all things grew, especially for the growth of cereal crops is very beneficial.
There are also three seasons in the Guyu solar term, which is also the delicate observation and summary of natural changes by the ancients. The first candidate is "Pingsheng", when duckweed in the water begins to grow.
The second is "the singing dove brushes its feathers", the dove begins to comb its feathers and flutter its wings to fly, which means that everything begins to be active and vibrant.
The third candidate is "hoopoe descends on mulberry", hoopoe bird flies on the branch of mulberry tree, which is a signal that the silkworm baby is about to grow, and also indicates that the busy season of spring plowing and spring planting is coming.
What does it mean that "the valley rain is in the moon, and the widow does not have to worry"?
The valley rain solar term is a critical period for many crops to be sown, in the folk there is "before and after the valley rain, plant melons and beans", many vegetables, beans are about to be sown, as well as cotton, peanuts, sorghum, corn and sweet potatoes and other crops should also be sown and transplanted, so this solar term is very important to farmers.
And "the valley rain is in the moon, the widow does not have to worry", is also a proverb summarized by the older generation in the past, which means that if the valley rain solar term is in the early part of the third lunar month, it indicates that the spring rain of this year will come early and the temperature will warm up quickly.
In this way, the crops can be sown smoothly, and the crops will grow and harvest smoothly without missing the agricultural season. In such a year, even widows who had difficulties in life in ancient times did not have to worry about their livelihood, which also reflected the affirmation of the ancients that "the valley rain is in the moon".
However, this year's Guyu solar term is on March 11, that is, in the middle of March, what is the omen?
In fact, there is a second half of this agricultural proverb, that is: "The valley rain is in the middle of the month, looking for seedlings and building chaos;
It means that if the rain season occurs in mid-March, then this year's rain may be heavier, and heavy rainfall will wash away the seedlings.
If the Guyu solar term falls in late March, it would indicate heavier rain later, which could have a more severe impact on crops and even wash away seedlings, making it impossible for farmers to find them.
There is another saying in the folk, that is, to predict the heat degree of the summer of the year through the difference in the solar terms of the valley rain, that is, "the valley rain is at the beginning of the month, and the heat kills the cow in June" and "the valley rain is at the end of the month, and the cotton clothes are worn in June".
Their meaning is also simple and clear, saying that the Guyu solar term is in the first to middle of March, so it indicates that the following summer will be unusually hot, even so hot that even the cattle can hardly bear it.
And if the rain falls at the end of the month, it could mean that the weather will be relatively cool in June. As for "wearing cotton clothes", this must be an exaggeration.
There are many agricultural proverbs about the Guyu solar term, such as "Guyu is not afraid of rain, Qingming is not afraid of sunny", "Qingming is bright, Guyu is drenched", they all mean that the weather is sunny and good during the Qingming Festival, and when the Guyu solar term, it rains more. This is also the experience of the ancestors, who believe that the rain in the valley rain season indicates that there will be more rain in the future.
After the valley rain solar term, the temperature is already very high, and the sunshine is also very strong, the rain at this time is very favorable, which is very beneficial to agriculture, and many crops also need the moisture of rain after sowing. Therefore, it rains a lot in the valley, as long as it is not heavy rain or heavy rain, it is a good thing.
Of course, these are the experiences of our ancestors. The ancients believed that "the valley rain is in the moon, and the widow does not have to worry", which is based on the fact that the valley rain comes early, which means that the spring rain comes early, and the ancient saying is that "the spring rain is as expensive as oil", and the fear is that it will not rain in spring.
And it is worth mentioning that this year's valley rain is on March 11, according to the ancestors, this year's rain is more, and at the same time, there is another point, that is, the lunar calendar in 2024 is a dragon to control the water, ten oxen to plough the field. It is said that there was a lot of rain in the first half of this year, which also reminded farmers to prepare early.
Especially this year, La Niña is back again, which will also lead to an increase in extreme weather, so farmers need to be prepared for flood control. #春日生活打卡季#