Beginning of Spring

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The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. February 4th, this Sunday, is the Beginning of Spring (立春 lìchūn) of 2018, also the first solar term of the year.

Beginning of Spring lifts the curtain of spring. After that everything turns green and full of vigor; people clearly see that the daytime is becoming longer and the weather is becoming warmer. 

Here are some informations of Beginning of Spring for you to know about. 

01

Start of spring and Spring Festival

As a solar term, Beginning of Spring had already entered people's lives in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). At that time, there were eight solar terms. According to some experts, the 24 solar terms were used for the first time in books during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), when the Beginning of Spring was set as the Spring Festival. In 1913, the first day of the first month of the lunar year was mandated as the Spring Festival. 

02

Biting the spring

The tradition of eating special snacks and dinners on the day is called "咬春 yǎochūn," which literally means "biting the spring." Other favorite dishes on the day include "肘子 zhǒuzi," braised pork joints and "春卷 chūnjuǎn," fried rolls stuffed with leek and eggs.

03

Spring calligraphies and paintings

The custom of having calligraphies and paintings on one’s door in the spring first appeared during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). People would do so to welcome spring and pray for good luck on the first day of Start of Spring. 

04

Flying a kite

Spring is the best season for kite-flying. A traditional folk activity, it has a history of more than 2,000 years. It can help build one’s health and prevent diseases. It also has the effect of promoting blood circulation and speeding up metabolism. A breath of fresh air outside can discharge the foul smell accumulated in winter.

05

Erecting the egg

In China, it is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox day and Autumn Equinox day. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand on the first day of Start of Spring, he will have good luck in the future.

According to astronomers and physicists, setting the egg upright has nothing to do with time, but with mechanics. The most important thing is to shift the egg’s center of gravity to the lowest part of the egg. In this way, the trick is holding the egg until the yolk sinks as much as possible. For this, people should choose an egg about 4 or 5 days old, whose yolk is inclined to sink down.

06

Appreciating plum blossoms

Plums blossom from the 12th lunar month to the second month of the next year. The plum blossom, as it fights against the cold, is the most highly regarded. In China, the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum are praised as the four gentlemen of Chinese flowers.

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See you next time.

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