Summer solstice was also called "Summer Festival" and "Summer solstice Festival" in ancient times. In the 7th century BC, the shadow of the sun was measured by civil soil gauge, thus the summer solstice was determined. Solstice is the earliest of the 24 solar terms. 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. " The name of the summer solstice comes from this.
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 about 13 hours, while that of Mohe in Heilongjiang is about 17 hours, and that of Beijing is about 15 hours. Moreover, this day is the day when the sun reaches the largest range in a year in the northern hemisphere, and it is also the day when the sun is the highest from the earth. 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.
The solstice in summer is in mid-May. Summer is the biggest and most extreme, everything grows and flourishes here to the extreme, and the sun is also the most extreme, so it is the shortest night and the longest day in a year, which is a white night close to the extreme and the most poetic day in a year.
What do people do on the summer solstice?
1, Beijing: winter solstice and summer solstice.
"Winter solstice jiaozi, summer solstice noodles", delicious Beijingers pay attention to eating noodles in summer solstice. With the return of folk customs, all foods related to the summer solstice are selling well. According to the customs of old Beijing, lettuce and cold noodles can be eaten on the first day of the summer solstice every year, because the climate is hot at this time, eating something cold can reduce the fire and stimulate the appetite, and it will not damage the health because of the cold.
2. Wuxi, Jiangsu: Wonton in summer solstice group in winter solstice group, and Ankang people reunite in four seasons.
On the solstice of summer, Wuxi people eat porridge in the morning and wonton at noon, which means chaos and harmony. There is a proverb: "Summer solstice wonton winter solstice reunion, four seasons Ankang people reunion." After eating wonton, I weighed my children, hoping that their weight gain would be healthier.
3. Lingnan area: Eat dog meat on the solstice in summer, and the west wind detours.
"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.
4. Shaoxing, Zhejiang: On the solstice of summer, I ate a round paste and stepped on a stone.
The summer solstice has the longest sunshine time, so there is a slang for "Have fun, and have fun with the summer solstice" in Shaoxing, China. In the past, people, regardless of wealth, offered sacrifices to their ancestors in summer and under the sun, commonly known as "making summer solstice", in addition to the regular offerings, a plate of silk cakes was added. At that time, after the summer harvest, the new wheat went on the market. Because of the new custom of eating noodles every day, the proverb "wonton on winter solstice and noodles on summer solstice" was put forward. There is also cooking wheat paste, which means mixing wheat flour and baking it into pancakes, which also means tasting new things.
5, Shandong: generally eat cold noodles, commonly known as water.
In summer solstice, cold noodles are commonly eaten in all parts of Shandong, commonly known as water. New wheat is recommended in Laiyang area from summer to Sunday, and new wheat grains are cooked in Huangxian (now Longkou City) area. Children weave a delicate small hedge with wheat straw and scoop it into their mouths again and again in soup, which is not only a game, but also a pleasure of farm life.
7. Dietary customs in other areas from summer to Sunday
In the northwest of China, such as Shaanxi, zongzi and chrysanthemum are eaten during this solar eclipse to prevent wheat from being harmed by pests. In the south, people weigh themselves to see if they are fat or thin. Farmers roll pancakes with vegetables, pods, tofu and bacon, bake them, eat them after ancestor worship or give them to relatives and friends.
In some areas of China, many underage nieces and nephews go to their parents' homes for dinner, and my uncle must have amaranth and gourd to cook. As the saying goes, eating amaranth will not give birth to children, but eating gourd will make your legs strong. Some people go to grandma's house to eat bacon, saying that it will be summer soon.