What Does Summer Solstice Mean? The Meaning and Origin of the Summer Solstice Solar Term
Summer Solstice is one of the 24 solar terms, falling on June 21 or 22 of the Gregorian calendar each year. Astronomers say that the Summer Solstice is the turning point of the sun; after this day it will take a “return journey”, as the point of direct sunlight begins to move southward from the Tropic of Cancer, and daytime in the Northern Hemisphere will grow shorter day by day. At the same time, after the arrival of the Summer Solstice, the starry night sky gradually transforms into the summer night sky. Now let us take a look together at what Summer Solstice means!
What does Summer Solstice mean?
Summer Solstice, like Winter Solstice, is a solar term that reflects the alternation of the four seasons. In astronomy, the Summer Solstice is defined as the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. In Chinese folk custom, the 15 days after the Summer Solstice are divided into 3 “periods”: generally the first period is 3 days, the middle period is 5 days, and the last period is 7 days. During this time, most regions of our country have relatively high temperatures, abundant sunshine, and rapid crop growth, with relatively high physiological and ecological water demands. Rainfall at this time has a great impact on agricultural yields, hence the saying “a drop of Summer Solstice rain is worth a thousand pieces of gold”. In a typical year, rainfall at this time in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huang-Huai region can generally meet the requirements of crop growth.
The Climatic Characteristics of the Summer Solstice
1. Convective weather: After the Summer Solstice, the ground is strongly heated and air convection is vigorous, making thunderstorms common from afternoon to evening. This kind of thermal thunderstorm comes suddenly and goes quickly, with a small rainfall range, which people call “summer rain separated by a field ridge”. The Tang dynasty poet Liu Yuxi once cleverly used this kind of weather as a metaphor, writing the famous line “The sun rises in the east while rain falls in the west; you say there is no sunshine, yet there is sunshine”. The heavy precipitation brought by convective weather is not always as beautiful as described in the poem, and often brings localized disasters. The poet Xu Shuxin, in the poem “In the Summer Rain”, also gave a fitting description of summer thunderstorm weather: “In summer the warm wind blows as heat sits on the terrace, frogs croak and cicadas chirp assaulting the dust. In the blue sky a thunderbolt sounds like a golden gong, cold rain like coins strikes the face.”
2. Rainstorm weather: In most cases, during the “Summer Solstice” period, it is exactly the plum rain season in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Jianghuai river basin, with frequent rainstorm weather, which easily forms floods and waterlogging disasters, and even poses a threat to people's lives and property, so flood control work should be strengthened.
3. Jianghuai plum rain: The Summer Solstice period is exactly the “plum rain” season in the Jianghuai area. At this time, it is the ripening period of yellow plums in Jiangnan; the air is very humid, and cold and warm air masses meet here and form a low-pressure trough, leading to continuous rainy weather. Under such weather, objects become moldy, people feel uncomfortable, some mosquitoes and insects reproduce very quickly, and some intestinal pathogens are also very easy to breed. At this time, attention should be paid to the hygiene of drinking water, and raw and cold foods should be avoided as much as possible to prevent the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases.
4. High-temperature sauna: Summer Solstice, like Winter Solstice, is a solar term that reflects the alternation of the four seasons. In astronomy, the Summer Solstice is defined as the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. After the Summer Solstice, although the point of direct sunlight gradually moves southward from the Tropic of Cancer, and in the Northern Hemisphere daytime gradually shortens while nighttime gradually lengthens, because the heat radiated by the sun to the ground is still greater than that emitted by the ground into the air, the temperature will continue to rise for some time afterward, hence the saying “it is not hot until after the Summer Solstice”. Judging from data from 1951 to 2006, the historical extreme values of many northern cities appeared after the Summer Solstice.
Traditional Foods of the Summer Solstice
1. Beijing: “Dumplings for Winter Solstice, noodles for Summer Solstice”; gourmet-loving Beijingers make a point of eating noodles on the day of the Summer Solstice. According to old Beijing customs, once the Summer Solstice solar term arrives each year, people can heartily eat lettuce and cold noodles, because the weather is hot at this time, and eating some raw and cold foods can reduce internal heat and stimulate the appetite without damaging health due to coldness. On the day of the Summer Solstice, noodle shops in Beijing are very popular. Whether it is Sichuan cold noodles, dan dan noodles, braised pork noodles, or zhajiang noodles, and so on, all kinds of noodles are very “best-selling”.
2. Shaoxing: In the old days, in the Shaoxing area of Zhejiang, people, regardless of wealth, all sacrificed to their ancestors on the day of the Summer Solstice, commonly known as “doing the Summer Solstice”. In addition to regular offerings, a plate of cattail-thread cakes was specially added. In the Shaoxing area, due to the climate, dragon boat races since the Ming and Qing dynasties have mostly not been held on the Dragon Boat Festival, but on the Summer Solstice, and this custom still survives today.
3. Wuxi: On the day of the Summer Solstice, Wuxi people eat wheat porridge in the morning and wontons at noon, taking the meaning of chaos and harmony. There is a proverb that says: “Wontons for Summer Solstice, round dumplings for Winter Solstice; peace in all four seasons and family reunion.” After eating wontons, children are weighed, in the hope that the children will gain weight and be healthier.
4. Mohe: Mohe County is the county with the highest latitude in China. Because of its high latitude, the Mohe area experiences the midnight sun in summer, and the northern lights often appear, so people call Mohe County “China's city that never sleeps” and “city of the aurora”. The white nights of Mohe occur in the 9 days around the Summer Solstice each year, namely June 15—25. At this time, Mohe mostly has clear skies, making it the best season for tourism and sightseeing. Therefore, since 1989, Mohe County has designated the “Summer Solstice” as a tourism festival, once a year, mainly held in Xilinji Town and Beiji Village. Whenever the Summer Solstice arrives, tens of thousands of people go to Beiji Village to celebrate the Summer Solstice Festival.
5. Shandong: On the day of the Summer Solstice, people throughout Shandong generally eat cold noodles, commonly known as passed-water noodles, and there is the proverb “Dumplings for Winter Solstice, noodles for Summer Solstice”. In the Laiyang area, new wheat is offered on the day of the Summer Solstice, while in the Huang County (now Longkou City) area, newly harvested wheat grains are boiled and eaten; children use wheat straw to weave a delicate small strainer and scoop them from the broth into their mouths again and again, both eating the wheat grains and playing a game, full of the charm of farm life. In the Pingyin area, ancestors are sacrificed to on the day of the Summer Solstice.
6. Lingnan: Eating dog meat and lychees on the Summer Solstice is the “exclusive privilege” of people in the Lingnan area, who use the name as an excuse to eat what they want. People in the Cantonese-speaking areas of Guangzhou and in Qinzhou, Yulin and other areas of Guangxi also very much like to eat dog meat and lychees on the Summer Solstice. It is said that eating dog meat and lychees together on the day of the Summer Solstice does not cause internal heat, and there is the saying “fish sashimi for Winter Solstice, dog for Summer Solstice”, so the custom of eating dog meat and lychees on the Summer Solstice has continued to this day. “Eat dog on the Summer Solstice, and the west wind takes a detour”; the general meaning is that as long as a person eats dog meat on the day of the Summer Solstice, their body can resist the invasion of the west wind and foul rain, catch fewer colds, and be in good health. It is precisely based on this good wish that the unique folk dietary culture of “Summer Solstice dog meat” was formed. Nowadays, with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the scene of every household killing dogs on the day of the Summer Solstice no longer exists today. However, the habit of every household eating dog meat remains as before.