The origin and custom of summer solstice

Summer solstice is one of the 24 solar terms, which occurs on June 2 1 or 22 of the Gregorian calendar every year. On the solstice in summer, the direct sunlight on the ground reaches the northernmost point of the year and almost directly reaches the Tropic of Cancer. At this time, the day in the northern hemisphere is the longest, and the farther north it is, the longer it is.

Solstice is the earliest of the 24 solar terms. In the 7th century BC, the shadow of the sun was measured by civil soil gauge, thus the summer solstice was determined. The annual summer solstice begins on June 2nd1day (or 22nd) and ends on July 7th (or 8th). According to "Zunxian Manuscript", "The sun arrives in the north, the days are long and the shadows are short, so it is called the summer solstice. At best, it is excellent. " On the day of summer solstice, the sun directly reaches the northernmost part of the year, almost directly to the Tropic of Cancer (23 26' north latitude), and the daytime in the northern hemisphere reaches the longest, and the farther north it is, the longer it is. For example, the daily length of Haikou in Hainan is a little more than 13 hours, Hangzhou is 14 hours, Beijing is about 15 hours, and Mohe in Heilongjiang can reach 17 hours. From summer to the future, the position of direct sunlight on the ground gradually moves southward, and the daytime in the northern hemisphere is shortened day by day. There is a folk proverb that "eating noodles on the solstice in summer will shorten the day". At this time, the southern hemisphere is in the middle of winter.

Summer solstice custom

Shandong customs

Solstice is the earliest festival in China. Before the Qing dynasty, there was a national festival on the solstice of summer. I went home to reunite with my relatives and have a drink. The Book of Rites also records the obvious phenomenon of solar terms in nature from summer to solar day: "From summer to solar day, antlers are untied, cicadas begin to sing, Pinellia ternata is born, and hibiscus is glorious." It shows that at this time of the year, antlers begin to fall off, cicadas begin to sing, and Pinellia ternata and hibiscus gradually bloom. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, summer is the season with the highest yang. Health care should conform to the characteristics of abundant yang in summer, pay attention to protecting yang, and focus on a "long" word.

On the day of summer solstice, cold noodles are commonly eaten in all parts of Shandong Province, commonly known as water crossing, and there is a proverb "winter solstice, summer solstice in jiaozi".

In Laiyang, Yantai, new wheat is recommended from summer to sun, while in Huangxian (now Longkou City, Yantai), new wheat grains are cooked and eaten. Children weave a delicate small hedge with wheat straw and fish it into their mouths again and again in soup. It is not only a game but also a game, which is very interesting for farm life.

In Pingyin area, ancestors sacrificed from summer to the sun.

Folli. From summer to the future, the third Geng Day is the first day, the fourth Geng Day is the middle day, and the first Geng Day after beginning of autumn is the last day, which is collectively called Furi. Fukui people have poor appetite and are often thinner than usual, commonly known as "bitter summer". Some places in Shandong eat raw cucumbers and boiled eggs to cure "bitter summer", and eat eggs in the morning on a rainy day without eating other foods.

On Furi Festival, Shandong people want to improve their diet, and people in eastern Jiaodong eat noodles. Long Island folk song: "beginning of autumn (Jiaozi) enters the couch." Yantai Zhaoyuan eats jiaozi, Binzhou Wudi is used to eating noodles and bean soup noodles, Jining Zoucheng likes to drink ice water, and some people go to Yishan Cave for the summer.

Linyi area has the custom of improving the eating habits of cattle. Furi cooks barley soup for cows. It is said that cows are strong and can work without sweating. The folk song says: "Spring bullwhip, licking Han Niu (ox), wheat kernel soup, licking ox rice, licking ox without sweating, until June." After lodging, it is the season to plant autumn vegetables. There is a saying that "radish can be planted first and buckwheat can be planted later".

Lingnan customs

Dog meat was originally the staple food of China people. Later, an emperor named Zhao was a dog, so it was forbidden to eat dog meat, because eating dog meat meant eating the emperor. Manchu was emperor in Qing dynasty, but Manchu didn't eat dog meat, so they wanted to ban it, but they couldn't. Only the number of people eating dog meat in China is decreasing gradually, so eating dog meat has changed from a meat staple food in China to a meat non-staple food.

Eating dog meat and litchi in the summer of solstice is a "patent" that Lingnan people want to eat. Cantonese in Guangzhou, Qinzhou, Guangxi and Yulin also like to eat dog meat and plums on the solstice in summer. It is said that dog meat and lychee are not hot together in summer solstice, and there is a saying that "fish breeds dogs in summer solstice", so the habit of eating dog meat and lychee in summer solstice continues to this day. In the custom of eating dog meat from summer to sun, there is a folk saying that "dogs from summer to sun have no way out", which means that many dogs are killed from summer to sun and have no way out. According to folk sayings, dog meat is warm, nourishing vitality and hot. Only suitable for autumn and winter. Eating dog meat in summer will get angry, and external heat plus internal heat is harmful to the body. But the solstice in summer is an exception. Eating dog meat in summer solstice is not only not hot, but also good for your health. That's probably why we live together. Of course, eating dog meat in summer solstice should be enough, and don't eat too much, so as not to cause gastrointestinal diseases such as indigestion. Why do you like eating dog meat on the summer solstice so much? There is a local saying that eating dog meat on the solstice in summer can ward off evil spirits, strengthen the body and resist the plague. "Eat dog meat from summer to sun, and the west wind detours", which means that as long as people eat dog meat from summer to sun, their bodies can resist the attack of westerly storms, catch fewer colds and be healthy. It is based on this beautiful wish that the unique folk food culture of "dog meat from summer to the sun" came into being. The only difference from the folk tradition is that with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the scene of killing dogs in every household from summer to morning no longer exists. However, the habit of eating dog meat remains the same in every household. The only difference is that more people buy it than kill it.

Cantonese people have the habit of eating dog meat, especially in Yangjiang. According to relevant records, it is said that killing dogs and cultivating oneself in the summer of June originated from the year after Qin Degong ascended the throne in the Warring States Period, and it was very hot in June, and epidemic diseases prevailed. According to the saying that "dogs are yang animals, which can bring misfortune", Qin Degong ordered his subjects to kill dogs to ward off evil spirits, and later formed the custom of killing dogs in summer solstice. The folk song "make summer, eat tonic" also shows that tonic began in the long summer. At present, residents in Lingnan area do not have the habit of eating dog meat in summer, but eat dog meat for tonic in winter. As the saying goes, "sell quilts and eat dog meat." Because dog meat is hot and dry in medicine, it tastes salty, sweet and sour; Warming spleen and stomach, tonifying kidney and strengthening yang, benefiting intelligence and qi, dispelling cold and strengthening yang. -"Compendium of Materia Medica", so Guangdong residents who have inherited Lingnan medical characteristics in their traditional living habits have no point in eating dog meat in summer, and they are even less enthusiastic. This is a matter of common sense.

Now Cantonese people like nourishing and eating cold food in summer, so residents generally make Qingbuliang soup, crucian carp black bean soup, pharmacological sparerib soup, chopped green onion bean soup, melon lentil thin soup and so on. Boiled red, mung bean paste, millet porridge, sago porridge, ginkgo porridge, bean jelly, lotus seed soup, bean curd, sweet potato soup, etc. And drink tremella papaya syrup, cold soybean milk, sugarcane water and herbal tea. Moreover, in summer, the food is more vinegar, less salt, less ginger and less garlic, and the taste is light, mainly flour, lean meat, vegetables and fruits.