What are the customs and practices during Grain Rain? What is its solar term meaning?

What are the customs and practices during Grain Rain? What is its solar term meaning?
Grain Rain is one of the 24 solar terms, and its appearance indicates that spring is about to leave. During the Grain Rain period, precipitation increases greatly, which is very beneficial to the growth of crops, so people will sow a lot during the Grain Rain period. So, what are the customs and practices of the Grain Rain period? What is its solar term meaning? Let’s follow the editor to learn more about it! "Fireworks in March in Yangzhou", with the arrival of the third month of the lunar calendar, a riot of colours competes for splendor. Shuimoxiansheng.com will interpret every day of the third month of the lunar calendar in 2020 for you!

Grain Rain Customs

——Custom 1: Eating Chinese toon <br /> During the Grain Rain season, people in the north have the custom of eating Chinese toon. The season around Grain Rain is when Chinese toon is on the market. At this time, Chinese toon is fragrant, refreshing and has high nutritional value. There is an old saying that goes like this: "Before the rain, the toon buds are very tender, and after the rain, the toon buds grow into the wood."
——Custom 2: Tea picking <br /> There is a saying: "Buds appear during Qingming and tea leaves appear during Guyu".
During the Grain Rain season, the climate is warm and humid, and the small buds can quickly grow into fresh leaves, which is a good time to pick tea and make tea. The tea picked at this time is called "Guyu Tea", also known as "Second Spring Tea".
The spring shoots and leaves are plump, emerald green, soft, and rich in vitamins and amino acids, making the spring tea taste fresh and fragrant.
——Custom 3: Sea worship <br /> For fishermen, the custom of sea worship is popular during the Grain Rain Festival. Grain Rain is the time when the water warms up in spring. Fish migrate to shallow waters, making it a good time to go fishing.
As the saying goes, "After Grain Rain, all fish come near the shore." In order to go out to sea safely and return with a full load, fishermen hold a sea sacrifice on the day of Grain Rain, praying for the blessing of the sea god.
——Custom 4: Offering sacrifices to Cangjie <br /> During Guyu in Baishui County, Shaanxi Province, there is a custom of offering sacrifices to Cangjie, the founder of literature. "Sacrificing to Cangjie during the Grain Rain Festival" is a folk tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years since the Han Dynasty.
Legend has it that during the Yellow Emperor era, Cangjie said in a dream: "I want a good harvest of grains, so that people all over the world can have food to eat." The next day, grains really fell from the sky. Huangdi regarded the day when the grain rain fell as a festival, called Grain Rain Festival.
——Custom 5: Appreciating Peonies <br /> There is a saying in the Jiangnan area: "Watch peonies three days after Grain Rain." Three days after Grain Rain, peonies are in full bloom, and it is the best time to appreciate them.
Therefore, peony is also called "Guyu flower". Thousands of years of cultural heritage have made "appreciating peonies during the Grain Rain Season" an activity that people have agreed upon.
》》》The above only cite five customs as examples. There are more customs in different regions.

Meaning of Guyu

Guyu means "rain brings forth all kinds of grains" and it occurs when the sun reaches 30° of the ecliptic longitude on April 20 or 21 every year.
During the Grain Rain season, in southern China, "the poplar flowers have all fallen, the cuckoos are crying", willow catkins are flying, the cuckoos are crying at night, the peonies are blooming, and the cherries are ripe. The natural scenery tells people that it is late spring.
In ancient China, Grain Rain was divided into three phases: "The first phase is when duckweed begins to grow; the second phase is when cuckoos flutter their feathers; the third phase is when daisies descend on mulberry trees."
》》》It means that after Grain Rain, rainfall increases, duckweed starts to grow, then cuckoos begin to remind people to sow seeds, and then hoopoes begin to be seen on mulberry trees.

Grain Rain Health Preservation

[1] With the arrival of Grain Rain, the Yang energy gradually grows, the Yin energy gradually disappears, and the weather becomes hotter. You should wear more clothes in the morning and evening. In particular, you should be careful not to be blown by the wind after sweating a lot, so as to prevent colds. Pay attention to going to bed early and getting up early, and avoid excessive sweating, so as to regulate the internal energy.
[2] In addition, as there is more rain during the Grain Rain season, we must prevent dampness from invading the human body, which can cause symptoms such as shoulder and neck pain, joint pain, abdominal distension, and loss of appetite.
[3] During the Grain Rain season, the liver qi is dormant, the heart qi gradually becomes strong, and the spleen qi is also in its active period. This is a good time to replenish the body.
【4】You can eat some foods that nourish the liver and kidneys to adapt to the changes of yin and yang and lay the foundation for safely spending the summer.
[Summary] With the arrival of Grain Rain, spring is already late. In the spring scenery, embrace the spring colors, the full spring breeze, the endless green, and the quietly growing tender green. I hope the above content is helpful to you!

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