Chinese Customs Concerning the 24 Solar Terms

• 24 solar terms have their indicative meanings to instruct people’s life in a year. With time passing by, many customs relating to solar terms appeared and many of them have been passed down, like eating dumplings on Winter Solstice and worshipping ancestors in Qingming Festival. Here are top customs and things to know about the 24 solar terms.

• Eat Dumplings on Winter Solstice

• The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. In the northern China where the weather can be bitterly cold, Chinese ancestors lacked sufficient warm clothing and would eat hot food to keep warm. Gradually there came a saying that only by eating dumplings can you avoid becoming so frozen that your ears drop off. Thus this solar term custom is still widespread and on that day we eat steaming hot and delicious dumplings. In southern China, people eat glutinous rice balls instead.

• Drink Tea on Beginning of Summer

• The Beginning of Summer will bring abundant rain and lead directly to the harvest. Thus an agricultural adage is that 'no rain, no rice' and 'no rain, we will hang up the hoe.' In ancient China, the emperors would perform a special rite to greet summer on that day. Nowadays, as the hot weather would cause people to lose weight and become exhausted, it become the custom to weigh and drink tea as this is considered a guard against the torrid weather.

• Eat Radishes on Beginning of Spring

• The Beginning of Spring symbolizes the start of a lunar year and the weather will become warmer and warmer. Looking forward to good fortune and smoothly running business, people have the custom of eating radishes on that day, believing that they would generate calm. This may be because of their effect to soothe the stomach.

• Worship Ancestors and Spring Outing on Qingming Festival

• Qingming Festival is a moment of importance for it is the day on which to worship ancestors. It is also called 'Cold Food Festival' as on that day cooking is forbidden and all are allowed to eat only cold food, for fear of being chastised by the immortals in heaven. Also, as the climate becomes warmer and flowers start to blossom, an important Qingming Festival custom is to go spring outing with families and friends. Around Qingming Festival, there is often a lot of rain, thus it is a crucial time in agriculture to plant grain or trees.

• Snowing on Greater Snow Promises a Fruitful Year

• Greater Snow is the day around which we will have dancing snow. The scenery is extremely charming. For farmers, heavy snow foretells a good harvest and so is regarded as auspicious. In China we have the saying that 'a timely snow promises a good harvest'. Thus you can see how welcome the snow is.

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