What is the solar term Lesser Heat? Are there any customs and habits during Lesser Heat?

What is the solar term Lesser Heat? Are there any customs and habits during Lesser Heat?
Introduction: The Lesser Heat solar term is the fifth solar term in summer. The arrival of Lesser Heat marks the grand arrival of the hot summer, and the Lesser Heat solar term also has many customs. So what is the solar term Lesser Heat? Are there any customs and habits during Lesser Heat? Let’s follow the editor to learn more about it. The sixth month of the lunar calendar has arrived, and life is gradually entering a new mode. If you want to know more about the exciting content of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, please pay attention to the fortune teller website to compile relevant articles for you!

What is the solar term Lesser Heat?

The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the day of Lesser Heat. "When the Douzhi Xin signifies Lesser Heat, the weather is already hot but has not yet reached its peak, hence the name." The sun's ecliptic longitude is 105 degrees. The weather is already very hot, but it is not the hottest yet, so it is called Minor Heat.

Customs of the Lesser Heat Season in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms

1. Eat dumplings during the first ten days of the Lesser Heat
In the first ten days, we eat radishes, in the second ten days, we eat vegetables, and in the third ten days, we can grow buckwheat; in the first ten days, we eat dumplings, in the second ten days, we eat noodles, and in the third ten days, we eat pancakes with eggs. It is a traditional custom to eat dumplings during the first day of the Lesser Heat. During the dog days, people have poor appetite and are often thinner than usual, which is commonly known as the bitter summer. Dumplings are the food that stimulates the appetite and satisfies cravings in traditional customs. In some places in Shandong, people eat raw cucumbers and boiled eggs to cure the summer heat. They eat eggs in the morning of the beginning of the dog days and do not eat any other food.
2. In the old days of Nanjing, lotus root and eel are eaten during the Lesser Heat.
As the saying goes, "Snake eels are better than ginseng during the Lesser Heat." Old Nanjing people are particular about eating eels during the Lesser Heat. Yellow eels live in mud caves on water banks. Summer eels caught one month before and after the beginning of the summer heat are the most nutritious and delicious. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that eel is warm in nature and sweet in taste, and has the effects of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, nourishing the liver and spleen, eliminating rheumatism, and strengthening the muscles and bones. In terms of ingredients, the protein content of eel is high, and the iron content is more than twice that of carp and yellow croaker. It can also lower the concentration of cholesterol in the blood.
For a long time, there has been a custom among the people to eat lotus root during the Lesser Heat. Lotus root contains a large amount of carbohydrates and rich calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc. It has the effects of clearing heat, nourishing blood and relieving restlessness, making it suitable for eating in summer. The method is to simmer the fresh lotus root over low heat, slice it and add appropriate amount of honey. It has the effect of calming the mind and promoting sleep, and can cure insomnia caused by blood deficiency. "Mango is also the seasonal food for the Lesser Heat solar term." There is a saying that goes "eat mangoes during the Lesser Heat", indicating that this season is the best time to eat mangoes.
3. Improve the diet of cattle in Linyi, Shandong
In addition, there is a custom in Linyi, Shandong Province to improve the diet of cattle. In the dog days of summer, people cook wheat kernel soup for cows to drink. It is said that cows will be strong and able to work without sweating after drinking it. Folk song: Spring ox whip, bull licking, wheat kernel soup, cow licking rice, cow licking drinks it without sweating, and it will happen again in June.
4. Eat New Foods During the Lesser Heat
In the past, there was a custom of "eating new food" during the Lesser Heat, that is, tasting new rice after the Lesser Heat. Farmers would grind the newly harvested rice into rice, make rice and offer it to the God of Grains and ancestors, and then everyone would eat and taste new wine. It is said that "eating new" means "eating spicy food", and it is the first spicy day after the Lesser Heat Festival. People in cities usually buy a small amount of new rice and cook it together with old rice, and add newly-coming vegetables. Therefore, there is a saying among the people that millet should be eaten during the Lesser Heat and grain should be eaten during the Greater Heat.
5. Yangzhou: Sunbathing and eating dumplings on June 6
There is also a saying in Yangzhou that “On June 6th, every family displays red and green items during the sun.” "Red and green" refers to colorful clothes. This custom is no longer limited to the sixth day of June. People can dry clothes during the dog days of summer, so it is also called "drying clothes during the dog days of summer." On June 6th, people in Yangzhou have the custom of eating dumplings. It is said that eating dumplings on this day will prevent summer heat stroke.
6. Eating mutton in Xuzhou
People in Xuzhou eat mutton during the dog days of summer, which is called "eating mutton during the dog days of summer". This custom can be traced back to the Yao and Shun periods. There is a folk saying that a bowl of mutton soup in Pengcheng during the dog days of summer is enough to save the life of a miracle doctor. Xuzhou people's love for eating mutton in the dog days of summer is best reflected in the local folk song: Pick up the girl on June 6th, and have new wheat cakes and mutton soup. The custom of eating noodles on the dog days began at least in the Three Kingdoms period. Weishi Chunqiu: On the hot summer days, people eat soup noodles, wipe the sweat with a towel, and their faces will be bright. The soup noodles here refer to hot soup noodles. Jingchu Sui Shi Ji records: Eating soup noodles on the hot day of June is said to ward off evil. May is an evil month, so June should also be warded off evil.
Summary: Through the above article, we know what the solar term Minor Heat is and what customs and habits it has. I hope it can provide you with more knowledge, and I also hope that you will like the above content!

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