In the Qingjiangpu Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop in Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, people experience traditional folk customs through egg painting and egg fighting to welcome the arrival of the beginning of summer. Photo by Wang Hao (People's Vision)
Approaching the beginning of summer, wheat has entered the heading and flowering period. Recently, students from the No. 2 Primary School of Ping'an Road, Shibei District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province, watered wheat. Photo by Wang Haibin (People's Vision)
A few days ago, tourists picked cherries in the cherry orchard in Dashan Village, Chengguan Town, Nanzhang County, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province. Yang Dongzhi (People's Vision)
Recently, fruit farmers picked green plums in the Senmu Group of Gudong Village, Shizhai Town, Cangwu County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Photo by He Huawen (People's Vision)
Farmers in Xiaowugen Village, Wugen Town, Wenling City, Zhejiang Province, were harvesting loquat a few days ago. Photo by Jiang Youqing (People's Vision)
"At four o'clock, the weather urges each other, and the wind brings heat overnight. "Spring hasn't finished traveling from south to north yet, and summer can't wait to catch up. Every year around May 6 of the Gregorian calendar, when the sun reaches the yellow longitude of 45 degrees, it is the beginning of summer, and May 5 this year is the beginning of summer. From spring to summer, the temperature gradually rises, the heat gradually appears, the grass and trees slowly fade away from the youth of spring, the shade of the trees begins to become dense, and all natural things quietly reveal the breath of early summer.
Spring is in full swing, and early summer is getting longer
The beginning of summer is the seventh of the 24 solar terms and the first solar term of summer, and its arrival heralds the alternation of spring and summer, so it is also called "the end of spring". In fact, the beginning of summer is not the same as the beginning of summer, if according to the climatological standard, only when the average daily temperature rises steadily above 22 degrees Celsius, it is considered to be truly summer. As the saying goes, "the south is like the summer of the north country, and the green beauty of the Jianghuai is shaded by ten thousand trees", in the beginning of summer, many places in the south of the mainland begin to enter the summer of "frogs everywhere in the grass ponds", and most of the northern areas "although the summer has been established, it is still the spring master", and the spring of "all kinds of red and purple buckets and fragrant flowers" has not ended, and the locust flowers in many places are in full bloom.
As the saying goes, "the beginning of summer cuts the limelight", to the beginning of summer, the wind in various parts of the mainland has weakened significantly, a little softer, as the so-called "crystal curtain moves the breeze, full of roses and a courtyard of incense". The wind is lighter, and the rain is more. In the beginning of summer, as the summer monsoon strengthens to the north, the warm and humid air from the ocean continues to be transported to the land, and the southern part of the mainland gradually enters the humid and rainy period, the rainfall in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and South China increases rapidly, and the rain changes from the graceful type to the heroic type, so the folk have the saying that "the beginning of the summer is small, the river is full of rivers".
There are three waits in the beginning of summer, the first wait for the mole to sing, the second wait for the earthworm to come out, and the third time to wait for the king melon to be born. What exactly is a mole grasshopper? There have always been different opinions. The "Seventy-two Candidate Explanations of the Moon Order" believes that the mole is a mole cricket "in the soil of the burrow", commonly known as the Lala cricket, but the "Rite Training" believes that "the mole is also a frog". In fact, no matter what kind of animal is specifically referred to, after the beginning of summer, all kinds of "singers" begin to appear one after another; after five days, earthworms begin to lazily loosen the soil; after another five days, vines such as king melons compete to climb and grow, full of greenery. "On the day of Mengxia, heaven and earth begin to meet, and all things show together. "The beginning of summer is a solar term full of vitality, and the plants and trees grow here to become more lush and prosperous.
If spring is the season of birth, then summer is the season of long. "The Seventy-two Candidate Explanations of the Lunar Order" says: "Lixia, April Festival...... Summer, fake, things are all fake at this time. The word "false" here means "big", which means that the plants sown in the spring have grown by this time. Entering the beginning of summer, the sunshine increases, the temperature gradually rises, the thunderstorms increase, and the crops enter the peak growth season. At this time, the summer harvest crops enter the late growth stage, the winter wheat is filled with flowers, the rape is close to maturity, and the summer harvest crops are basically finalized, so the agricultural proverb has the saying of "the beginning of summer to see the summer".
As soon as the beginning of summer arrives, the temperature rises significantly, which is also a signal of the end of the "spring cover", and people can gradually reduce their clothes. However, due to the fact that it has not really entered the summer, the temperature is still changeable, and the temperature difference between day and night is large. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that from spring to early summer, when the yang energy is gradually flourishing and the cold is not exhausted, you should not be greedy for cold clothes, and you should increase or decrease your clothes in time according to the weather changes.
Weigh and be healthy, and try new eggs
"Fang Feixie, why hate when she goes, Xia Mu is yin and lovely. In the poet's eyes, spring is a good day, and summer is also a good time. From spring to summer, the grass and trees from budding to vigorous, nature from ignorance to adolescence, so far, green, fat, red and thin, warm wind and long days, a lively summer feast has begun.
After the beginning of summer, the temperature rises steadily, which makes it easy for people to lose their appetite, fatigue and emaciation, which the ancients called "疰 (zhù) summer". As a result, there is the custom of "Lixia Weighing People" to observe the changes in the body and health care needs in summer. The Qing Dynasty "Qing Jialu" recorded: "Every household is weighted by the weight of the person, and it is also called the beginning of autumn to test the barrenness in the summer." "In ancient times, on the day of the beginning of summer, family members or neighbors gathered together, first set up a large scale, and everyone took turns to sit in the bamboo basket to weigh themselves. When weighing, the person who looks at the scale will report the number loudly and add auspicious words, for example, when the old man is weighed, the person who looks at the scale will say, "The scale flower is eighty-seven, and the life is ninety-one", hoping to bring blessings to people. Weigh it again at the beginning of autumn, and if you lose weight, eat some meat to make up for it. Nowadays, the custom of Lixia is still popular in some areas, children gain weight, parents are happy, and the elderly gain weight and children and grandchildren are happy, all of which are good wishes for health and longevity.
"Lixia has eggs on his chest, and it is difficult for children to have a summer stump. In order to prevent their children's summer fever, adults use eggs, an easy-to-obtain nutritional supplement, as a "tonic" for their children - soak boiled eggs in cold water for a few minutes, then put on a woven wire mesh bag and hang it around the child's neck. The children formed groups of three or five to play a game of egg fighting. The rules of egg fighting are simple, two eggs collide, and the eggshell is strong but not broken. The one who broke the shell admitted defeat, and then ate the egg, and the last egg that was left behind was respected as the "egg king". As the saying goes, "eat one egg in the beginning of summer, and grow 10,000 strength", eating nutritious eggs, children can spend the hot summer more safely and comfortably.
When the beginning of summer arrives, seasonal fruits appear, and people can taste the deliciousness to their heart's content. "I woke up drunk in the afternoon. Verdant. A few cherry leaves are red at the bottom", which is a crystal clear cherry; "The plum leaves sour and soft teeth, and the plantain is divided into green and window screens", which is a sweet and sour green plum; "Fangjin flows toothed cheeks, and the core fine muscle is plump and warm", which is a sweet and moist loquat. There is a custom of "tasting three new things in the beginning of summer" in the folk diet of Jiangnan, that is, tasting sweet cherries, refreshing green plums and sweet loquats. The specific "three new" often vary from region to region, but they are basically fresh ingredients that are in season and in season. For example, Suzhou people will include cherries, green plums and wheat in their recipes, and when the cherries are ripe, they can be boiled in a pot of wine with green plums, which can comfortably welcome spring and summer. In the view of traditional Chinese medicine, after the beginning of summer, the weather becomes hotter, the human body consumes more, and the water loss is more, which is easy to cause obvious fire and fluid loss, while cherries, green plums, and loquat have the effects of quenching thirst, promoting digestion, and increasing appetite. Proper consumption of such fresh fruits and vegetables can not only meet the required nutrients, replenish the water lost by the human body, but also relieve heat and heat. In addition, the diet should be light after the beginning of summer, should be nutritious, easy to digest, vitamin-rich food, avoid spicy and greasy, less greedy and cold, can appropriately increase mung bean porridge, lotus seed porridge, lotus leaf porridge and other gruel to supplement liquid, can also properly drink sour plum soup, chrysanthemum tea and other cool drinks, and at the same time supplement protein in an appropriate amount, in order to achieve the realm of "sufficient righteousness, evil can not be done".
Nourish your mind and take a nap
The ancients said: "April is the beginning of summer, the air order is clear, and the days are long and tired." "The fourth month of the lunar calendar is called the month of scarcity, which refers to people, sleepy and lazy fatigue, and also refers to the lack of food. According to the ancients, after the beginning of summer, "Zhu Rong Commander Ji Fangchun", the fire god Zhu Rong began to take charge of the season, and the weather began to reflect the word "fire".
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the five elements in summer belong to fire, which corresponds to the heart in the five organs of the human body, so summer is connected with the heart qi. The beginning of summer represents the advent of the heyday of the yang energy of the year, and the heart yang is the most vigorous, and health care should be carried out in accordance with the changes of the seasons, focusing on nourishing the heart and protecting the heart.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "the heat is easy to hurt the qi" and "the heat is easy to enter the heart", therefore, at this time, we should pay attention to spiritual care, especially the elderly should consciously carry out spiritual maintenance, maintain a state of refreshment and happiness, relax and enjoy themselves, avoid great sorrow and joy, and abstain from irritability and anger, so as not to be sad, hurt the body and hurt the spirit. At the beginning of summer, painting, calligraphy, playing the piano, playing chess, planting flowers, etc. can regulate the spirit, calm the heart, and help to maintain a comfortable mood.
There is a folk legend in the south of the mainland: "If you don't drink Lixia tea, you will suffer for a summer." "As early as the Ming Dynasty, there was a custom of cooking new tea on the day of the beginning of summer, accompanied by various fruit snacks, and relatives and neighbors fed each other, called Qijia tea.
After the beginning of summer, the length of the days and the shortening of the nights become more and more obvious. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that between heaven and earth, we should conform to the changes of yang and yin decay in nature, and we can go to bed late and get up early to accept the clear qi of heaven and earth. "The Yellow Emperor's Neijing" records: "When the yang energy is exhausted, it is lying, and when the yin energy is exhausted, it is sleeping." That is to say, at the time of night (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.), when the yin energy is at its peak and the yang energy is at its peak, people should sleep soundly to facilitate the maintenance of the liver and the overall health of the body, and at noon during the day when the yang energy is at its peak (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), people should rest for a while to replenish their energy and refresh their minds. However, the nap time should not be too long, 30 minutes is enough, even if you are not sleepy, you can close your eyes and refresh your mind.
As the temperature rises after the beginning of summer, people are prone to sweating, and if they are afraid of heat and cold, and lack of exercise, they will have a lot of uncomfortable symptoms. Therefore, exercise can be appropriately strengthened to improve the body's metabolism, which is conducive to regulating the qi. In terms of exercise methods, you can choose slow-paced aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, Baduanjin, Tai Chi, etc., insist on 4 to 7 times a week, and the intensity of the activity should not feel tired, and avoid excessive excess, so as not to sweat a lot. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that sweat is the fluid of the heart, and excessive sweating is easy to hurt yang qi, so it is necessary to avoid strenuous exercise that causes profuse sweating, and drink warm water or salt water appropriately after exercise to replenish body fluids. At the same time, be careful not to be greedy for cold, do not drink cold drinks, and avoid damaging the spleen, stomach and yang qi.
The swallow goes to spring, and the wind brings summer. The twilight spring is quietly gone, and the enthusiasm of early summer is coming. Let's embrace this season of enthusiasm and enjoy the beauty of summer to the fullest.
Source: People's Daily Online
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