The Beginning of Spring is not only the first of the 24 solar terms but also an important festival. In terms of astronomy, it marks the beginning of the spring. The Beginning of Spring solar term normally begins on February 4 or 5 and ends in February 19 or 20. Like the Beginning of Summer, the Beginning of Autumn and the Beginning of Winter solar terms, it is also a solar term reflecting the changing of seasons and is a transitional solar term, even though this transition is not very obvious. But the overall trend is that the weather, after the coldest period, will become warm again and people will gradually smell the scents of early spring.
An ancient Chinese book named "Florilegium" explains the beginning of spring like this: the Chinese character "立" means the beginning, so the scents of spring can be smelled and it is clear that spring is about to come. At the beginning of spring, the temperatures rise, the sun is out longer and the rain increases. But for most parts of China, all this phenomena is just the prelude to the spring and the true spring has not yet to come.
In the history of China, the 15 days of the Beginning of Spring solar term were divided into three pentads and each pentad has five days. In the first pentad, the east wind begins to blow and the ground begins to thaw. In the second pentad, dormant animals gradually wake, and in the third pentad, the ice in the rivers begins to melt and fish begin to swim to the surface of the water, but there are still pieces of broken ice floating on the surface of the water, like they are being carried by the fish.
Since the Qin Dynasty, China has recognized the Beginning of Spring solar term as the beginning of spring. The Beginning of Spring solar term came from astronomy. In views of nature, as well as the perspective of many people, spring coincides with warmth, birds twittering and fragrance of flowers, and is the season for plowing, planting and growing. In climatology, spring refers to a time interval in which the average pentads temperature (a pentad includes five days) is between 10 and 22 Celsius degrees.
When spring comes, people clearly feel the daytime becoming longer and the weather becoming warm. The temperatures rise, the duration of sunshine is longer and the amount of rain increases during this transitional period. Crops planted in the tenth month of the lunar year grow more and more and then more water is needed when the rapeseed and wheat begin jointing, so in this period, people should water their crops in a timely manner and fertilize them to promote their growth. A farmer's saying reminds people that "it begins to rain in the beginning of spring and people should get up early and stay up late" because the preparation work for plowing and the sowing of seeds has begun. Although spring has come, some parts of southern China are still very cold, and the scene of "late snows witnessing the approach of spring, and floating through the trees like flying flowers" plays out in many locations. People should keep these climate factors in mind when they prepare for agricultural work.
People always like to look for the characteristics of the spring. A children's song goes like this, "Where is the spring? Where is the spring?" The bulging buds sprouting from the willow branches are softer and tender than silk. The grass in the earth, which is eager to grow up, is waiting for the spring breeze so it can grow again, as well as people, who are working hard in the fields in order to have a good harvest, bringing about a real spring with their hands.
Source: CCTV.com
Editor: GAO Yuan
