What does the Summer Solstice mean?

The Summer Solstice is one of the 24 solar terms. On June 21 or 22 of each year in the Gregorian calendar, astronomical experts say that the Summer Solstice is the turning point of the sun. After that day, it will "turn back." the point of direct sunlight begins to move southward from the Tropic of Cancer, and the days in the northern hemisphere will be shortened day by day. At the same time, after the arrival of the Summer Solstice, the stars in the night sky gradually changed into summer stars. Next, let's take a look at what the Summer Solstice means.

What does the Summer Solstice mean?

The Summer Solstice, like the Winter Solstice, is a solar term reflecting the change of seasons. Astronomically, the Summer Solstice is the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. Chinese people divide the 15 days after the Summer Solstice into three "hours", usually three days, five days in the middle, and seven days in the end. During this period, the temperature in most parts of China is high, the sunshine is sufficient, the crops grow rapidly, and the physiological and ecological water demand is more. The precipitation at this time has a great impact on agricultural output, and it is said that "the Summer Solstice raindrops are worth thousands of dollars". In general years, the precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Huang-Huai region can generally meet the requirements of crop growth.

Climatic characteristics of the Summer Solstice

1. Convective weather: after the Summer Solstice, the ground is heated strongly and the air convection is exuberant. It is often easy to form thundershowers from afternoon to evening. This kind of hot thunderstorm comes and goes suddenly, the rainfall range is small, people call it "summer rain across the field ridge". Liu Yuxi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, skillfully borrowed this weather and wrote the famous poem "Sunrise in the east and rain in the west, Tao is sunny but sunny". The heavy precipitation brought by convective weather is not always as beautiful as described in the poem, and it often brings local disasters. In the poem "in the Summer Rain", the poet Xu Shuxin also gives an appropriate description of the thunderstorm weather in summer: "in summer, the wind and summer sit on the stage, the frogs sing and the cicadas noise against the dust." There was a thunderbolt and a golden gong, and the cold rain came like money in the face. "

2. Rainstorm weather: in most cases, during the "the Summer Solstice" period, during the Meiyu in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin, rainstorms occurred frequently, which easily caused floods and even posed a threat to people's lives and property, so attention should be paid to strengthening flood control work.

3. Jianghuai Meiyu: the the Summer Solstice season is the "Meiyu" season in the Jianghuai area. at this time, it is the yellow ripe period of plum in the south of the Yangtze River, and the air is very humid, where cold and warm air masses converge and form a low-pressure trough, leading to rainy weather. In such weather, the utensils are moldy and the human body feels uncomfortable. Some mosquitoes reproduce quickly, and some intestinal bacteria breed easily. At this time, we should pay attention to the hygiene of drinking water and try not to eat raw and cold food to prevent the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases.

4. High temperature sauna: the Summer Solstice, like the Winter Solstice, is a solar term reflecting the change of the four seasons. Astronomically, the Summer Solstice is the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. After the Summer Solstice, although the direct point of the sun began to move southward from the Tropic of Cancer, the days in the Northern Hemisphere shortened and the nights increased. However, because the heat radiated by the sun to the ground is still more than that from the ground to the air, the temperature will continue to rise for a period of time, so there is a saying that "the Summer Solstice is not hot." According to the data from 1951 to 2006, the historical extreme values of many northern cities appeared after the Summer Solstice.

The Summer Solstice's solar food

1. Beijing: "the Winter Solstice dumplings the Summer Solstice noodles". Delicious Beijingers pay attention to noodles on the Summer Solstice's day. According to the customs of old Beijing, when it comes to the Summer Solstice's solar terms, you can feast on lettuce and cold noodles every year, because the climate is hot at this time, and eating something cold can reduce the fire and appetizer, without harming your health because of the cold. The Summer Solstice, noodle shops in Beijing are very popular on this day. No matter Cold Noodles, Sichuan Style, Noodles, Sichuan Style, braised pork noodles or noodles soybean paste, all kinds of noodles sell well.

2. Shaoxing: in the old days, people in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, regardless of whether they were rich or poor, the Summer Solstice offered sacrifices to his ancestors every day, commonly known as "being the Summer Solstice". In addition to regular offerings, he added a plate of pu silk cakes. Due to the climate, the Dragon Boat Race in Shaoxing is not on the Dragon Boat Festival since the Ming and Qing dynasties, but in the Summer Solstice, this custom still exists.

3. Wuxi: the Summer Solstice, people in Wuxi eat porridge in the morning and wonton for lunch. There is a proverb: "the Summer Solstice wonton winter solstice, four seasons Ankang people reunion." After eating wonton, weigh the children. I hope the children will gain weight and be healthier.

4. Mohe County: Mohe County is the county with the highest latitude in China. Because of its high latitude, Mohe area produces polar daylight phenomenon in summer, and aurora borealis often appear, so Mohe County is called "the city that never sleeps in China" and "Aurora City". Mohe White Night occurs in the nine days before and after the Summer Solstice every year, that is, June 15-25, when Mohe has clear sky weather, which is the best season for people to travel. Therefore, since 1989, Mohe County has designated "the Summer Solstice" as a tourism festival, once a year, mainly in Xilinji Town and Arctic Village. Whenever the Summer Solstice arrives, tens of thousands of people go to the Arctic Village to celebrate the Summer Solstice Festival.

5. Shandong: the Summer Solstice on this day, cold noodles are commonly eaten in all parts of Shandong, commonly known as across the water, and there is a proverb "the Winter Solstice dumplings the Summer Solstice noodles". The Summer Solstice recommended new wheat in Laiyang area, while new wheat grains were cooked in Huangxian County (now Longkou City). The children used wheat straw to weave a delicate little hedge and fished it out of their mouths again and again in soup. It was not only a kind of wheat grain, but also a kind of game, which had the taste of farm life. Around Pingyin, the Summer Solstice offered sacrifices to his ancestors.

6. Lingnan: the Summer Solstice eats dog meat and litchi, which is a "patent" that people in Lingnan want to eat under a pseudonym. People from Cantonese-speaking areas in Guangzhou and Qinzhou and Yulin in Guangxi also like eating dog meat and lychees in the Summer Solstice very much. It is said that the Summer Solstice's dog meat and litchi are not hot together, and it is said that "the Winter Solstice fish is raw the Summer Solstice dog". Therefore, the Summer Solstice's habit of eating dog meat and litchi continues to this day. "after eating the Summer Solstice dogs, the west wind takes a detour." to the effect that as long as people eat dog meat on the Summer Solstice's day, their bodies will be able to resist the invasion of the west wind and rain, catch fewer colds and be in good health. It is based on this good wish that the unique folk food culture of "the Summer Solstice dog meat" has been achieved. Nowadays, with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the scene of every household killing dogs on the Summer Solstice Day no longer exists today. However, the habit of eating dog meat remains the same in every household.