Start of Summer: transition from spring to summer
Start of Summer: transition from spring to summer
Start of Summer, also known as “Lixia” in Chinese, is the seventh solar term of a year. It normally falls on May 5 and ends on May 20, representing the passing of spring and the entering into summer.
Chinese people believe that the Start of Summer is an important time for agricultural work, as temperatures and rainfalls will increase significantly. As an old saying goes in China, “The more rice seedlings you plant in Start of Summer, the more grain you can harvest in autumn.” Aside from rice, management of other spring-sown crops will also enter a busy season after the Start of Summer.
Three phases of Start of Summer
The fifteen-day period of Start of Summer is divided into three phases according to Chinese lunar calendar. In the first one, insects begin chirping in the fields. In the second, earthworms are busy assisting farmers with soil turning and loosening. In the third, all kinds of cucurbits and wild vegetables gradually grow out and race to prosper.
Interesting customs of greeting the Start of Summer
People across China have different ways to celebrate the Start of Summer, among which weighing people might be the most interesting folk custom in Southern China.
Usually after lunch on the day, the young and old would take turns to check their weight standing on a stool hanging on a large scale. The person calculating the weight would offer kind and auspicious words, and it is believed that people who experienced weighing at the Start of Summer will be blessed with health and luck for a whole summer.
On the day of “Lixia,” parents will put a boiled egg in a knitted bag and hang it on their child's chest. In this way, they wish their kids can stay away from summer diseases. Children then play games with their eggs, knocking their eggs with others’ to see whose egg is stronger.
Tasting food just in season
The coming of Start of Summer is a good news for foodies, as an abundant supply of vegetables and fruits can be found on the market. For example, people in east China’s Suzhou have a tradition of eating cherry, green plum and wheat, while broad beans, bamboo shoots and salted duck eggs are also popular dishes during this period.
Some people in south of China still have a custom of eating “black rice,” glutinous rice cooked with leaves of a special plant. In northern areas such as Shandong Province, women like to enjoy an alcohol made of plum juice and rice wine around the Start of Summer. The wine has a Chinese name which means “stopping the aging of one’s appearance.” Taking a sip of this wine, women enjoy not only its sour and sweet taste, but also the dreams of staying forever young.
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Producers: Chen Kaixing, Zhou Liang
Planners: Ge Subiao, Yang Guoqiang
Supervisor: Yu Weiya, He Xianfeng, Zhou Nianjun
Reporters: Zhou Xiaoli, Li Yongxi, Liu Fangqiang, Yao Yi (Intern)
Designer: Yin Zhelun
Editors: Wang Jingyun, Chen Zixia