Preface
The ancients had a saying: "The beginning of spring is not cold, and the ice is not beaten; The beginning of spring is cold, and the ice is big. This phrase is used to predict the weather, and although it is simple, it contains a wealth of meteorological knowledge. In the long-term practice of production and life, the ancients summed up many similar meteorological prediction methods, and these methods, now it seems that some of them are quite "miraculous". In the agricultural proverbs, there are also many prediction methods about the weather, such as "whether the dog days are hot or not, just look at the twenty-ninth of March", which seems to be a folk proverb, but is actually a very expressive weather prediction method of the ancients. So, why did the ancients use March 29 to predict the weather this summer? Today, let's uncover the meteorological science behind this.
1. New Year's Eve Demon
In the agricultural proverb, there is such a sentence: "On the twenty-ninth day of March, the dawn of the sun, the five poor ghosts come to find the old." This sentence is talking about the twenty-ninth day of the third month of the lunar calendar. In the lunar calendar, the twenty-ninth day of each month is called "obscurity", and "obscurity" means unlucky, so the ancients believed that the obscurity day is a very bad day, this day, not only is not suitable to do any big things, but also has many taboos, people will even make various preparations in advance on this day to deal with the adverse effects of "obscurity".
And on this day, there is also a very interesting custom, that is, "send poor ghosts". The ancients believed that on this day, the five poor ghosts would come out to play together, they were "poor friends", "poor wisdom", "poor life", "poor learning" and "poor wealth", these five poor ghosts will bring a lot of trouble and unhappiness to people's lives, so people have come up with a variety of ways to send these five poor ghosts away from their side.
In some places, people will go to their fields or the corners of their houses on the day of the obscure day, sprinkle some millet and red dates, and use them to entertain the five poor ghosts, hoping that they will be able to eat and drink enough, and then leave by themselves, no longer pestering themselves. In some places, people will also make some small "poor ghost" dolls, and then on this day, take them to the street to "parade", and finally, burn these "poor ghost" dolls, which means that the real poor ghosts will also be sent away.
It can be said that the activity of "sending poor ghosts" on this day is not only a folk custom, but also people are using their own unique way to express their yearning and prayer for life, hoping that in the new year, they can stay away from diseases and disasters, and life can be smooth sailing.
February and March 29 predict the dog days
In addition to the custom of "sending poor ghosts", this day also has a very important role, that is, it can help people predict future weather changes in advance. In the agricultural proverb, there is such a sentence: "On the twenty-ninth day of March, the dawn of the sun, the five poor ghosts come to find the old." Although this sentence is talking about "sending poor ghosts", the "March 29th, the dawn of the sun" is actually telling people the weather conditions on this day.
The ancients attached great importance to the weather observation on this day, because they believed that the weather conditions on this day could help them predict future weather changes in advance, especially the summer climate, such as dog days. In the agricultural proverb, there is also such a saying: "If the dog days are hot or not, just look at the twenty-ninth of March." It can be seen that the ancients were very far-sighted, and they made meteorological predictions by observing the weather on this day, and this prediction method actually had a very magical effect.
According to the summary and observation experience of the ancients, they found that if there is a "dawn" on the twenty-ninth day of March, that is, some fog appears in the sky in the early morning, then such weather conditions indicate that the future weather will be very hot, and it will be accompanied by dry weather, such a day is also called "dry and hot day".
And if it is on the day of March 29, there is a "night dark", that is, in the evening, there is some fog in the sky, then such weather conditions indicate that the weather will be cooler in the future, and there will be some rainy weather, such a day, for the growth of crops, very beneficial.
It can be said that the meteorological prediction method proposed by the ancients is very unique and accurate, and it still has a certain reference value in today's society. Now, although we have advanced meteorological observation equipment, we can understand the changes in the weather anytime and anywhere, but the prediction method of the ancients contains the awe and love of nature, they use their own wisdom to understand the subtlety of nature, such meteorological prediction methods, but also to our lives, add a lot of fun and surprises.
epilogue
The ancients in their daily production and life, for the changes in the weather, have a very detailed observation and summary, they are not only in the prediction of the weather, but also in the heart to understand the mystery of nature, and such observation and perception, but also for us to leave a lot of valuable cultural heritage, such as the agricultural proverbs in a variety of prediction methods.
In today's society, although we have left the agrarian society, the wisdom of the ancients still shines and guides us forward. I hope that in the future, whether it is traditional agricultural proverbs or other folk cultures, they can be better inherited and protected, so that these cultural treasures will continue to bloom in our lives.
At the same time, I also hope that everyone can draw strength and inspiration from the wisdom of these ancients, no matter what difficulties and challenges they encounter, they can maintain a normal heart, use wisdom and courage to face all kinds of life, and believe that they will be able to usher in a sunny tomorrow.