grain rain

grain rain

Guyu is the sixth of the 24 solar terms and the last one in spring. Douzhichen; the Yellow meridian of the sun is 30 degrees; it meets every year from April 19 to 21 of the Gregorian calendar. Guyu means "rain begets a hundred grains". At this time, the precipitation increases significantly. The first transplanting of seedlings and new crop species in the field need the moistening of rain most. It is the so-called "spring rain is as expensive as oil". Sufficient and timely rainfall, cereal crops can thrive. Like other solar terms such as rain, light rain, light snow and heavy snow, the valley rain reflects the phenomenon of precipitation and reflects the ancient farming culture.

It is said in the collection of seventy-two lunar orders, "in March, after the rain, the earth paste pulsates, and now it rains, and its valley is in the water Gaigu got its name because it sowed from top to bottom. The grain rain is a solar term reflecting the precipitation phenomenon. After the grain rain solar term, the rainfall increases and the humidity in the air gradually increases, which is very suitable for the growth of cereal crops.

In the rainy season, in the south of China, it often begins to rain obviously, especially in South China, once the cold air and warm and humid air meet, it often forms a long period of rainfall weather. Qinling Huaihe River is a transitional area between southern spring rain and northern spring drought. From Qinling Huaihe River to the north, spring rain decreases sharply.

historical origin

"Stars in the sky": the Big Dipper is near the south of crape myrtle palace and in the north of Taiwei. It is the imperial chariot, which carries the main command to the central government and controls the four directions. At the time of the establishment of the four kingdoms, the five elements were all used, and the rules and regulations were all set in the Beidou. "

It is said in Shiji tianguanshu that "Dou is the emperor's chariot. It is transported to the central government, and it is controlled by four sides. It is divided into yin and Yang. When it was built, it was divided into five elements. It was transferred and recorded in Dou.".

"Tongwei · xiaojingyuanshenqi" says, "on the 15th day after Qingming, Dou Zhichen is the valley rain. In the middle of March, the rain gives birth to a hundred valleys, which are pure and clean."

"Qun Qun Fang Pu": "Gu Yu, Gu de Yu is born." Before and after the grain rain, the weather was warmer and the rainfall increased, which was conducive to the sowing and growth of spring crops.

"In the middle of March, after the rain, the earth paste pulsates, and now it rains, and its valley is in the water. Rain is the sound of going away, like rain in my field. It's time for gaigu to sow from top to bottom. " Hence the name.

Astronomical calendar

The 24 solar terms were originally formulated according to the rotation direction of the dipper handle (the dipper turns and the star shifts). The dipper rotates in a circle, which is closely related to the change of seasons. The Big Dipper is an important star in the northern hemisphere. In different seasons and at different times at night, it will appear in different directions in the northern hemisphere sky. It is the ruler of the ancients to determine the direction, season and solar term. The rule that the Big Dipper turns from east to west around the North Star is called by the ancients, and people can judge the time of seasons and solar terms by the rule. That is to say: "doubing refers to the East, all spring in the world; doubing refers to the south, all summer in the world; doubing refers to the west, all autumn in the world; doubing refers to the north, all winter in the world." Since the 24 solar terms are determined by the rotation and direction of the Big Dipper, this calendar is also called "star calendar". During the period of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, the "24 solar terms" were included in the Taichu calendar as a supplement to the calendar to guide farming. The day when the sun shadow was the longest and the day was the shortest in the Yellow River Basin was used as the winter solstice day. Taking the winter solstice day as the starting point of the "24 solar terms", the period between the winter solstice and the next winter solstice was divided into 24 equal parts And so on. The current "24 solar terms" come from the "law of regulating qi" (which has been in use since 1645) established more than 300 years ago. In the lunar calendar, the 24 solar terms are determined according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic, that is, on a 360 degree ecliptic (the sun's apparent path on the celestial sphere in a year), it is divided into 24 equal parts, one equal part every 15 degrees, with the vernal equinox as the starting point of 0 degree (the first place in the order is the beginning of spring), and compiled according to the degree of the Yellow meridian Every 15 ° is a solar term.

Climate change

The main feature of the rainy weather is rainy, which is conducive to grain growth. Guyu is the last solar term in spring. At this time, the first transplanting of seedlings and new crop species in the field need the moisture of rain most, so it has the reputation of "spring rain is as expensive as oil". The ancients said that "rain gives birth to a hundred grains". The precipitation in the rainy season is very important for the growth of crops. "Guyu" generally indicates the increase of rainfall, but it doesn't mean that it rains on this day, but it means that the probability of rainfall is higher before and after the "Guyu" solar term.

As the weather turns warmer, people's outdoor activities increase, peach and apricot flowers in northern China open, and poplar catkins and willow catkins fly everywhere. Rain gives birth to a hundred grains. Sufficient and timely rainfall, cereal crops can thrive.

In the south of China during the rainy season, "the poplars are crowing all the time", the catkins are flying down, the cuckoos are crowing at night, the peonies are blooming, the cherries are ripe red, and the natural scenery tells people that it's late spring. Generally, the average temperature in the last ten days of April has reached 20 ℃ to 22 ℃ except for the northern and western parts of South China, which is more than 2 ℃ higher than that in the middle ten days. In the eastern part of South China, there is often a high temperature of more than 30 in one or two days, which makes people feel hot. The low altitude Valley has entered summer.

Phenological phenomenon

In some ancient Chinese works, Gu Yu is divided into three periods: "the first period is when Ping begins to grow; the second period is when the dove blows its feathers; the third period is when Dai Sheng falls to sang." That is to say, after the valley rain, the rainfall increased, and duckweed began to grow. Then cuckoo began to remind people to sow, and then Dasheng began to see on mulberry trees.

Folk customs

Picking Guyu tea:

In the south, there is the custom of picking tea in Guyu. Guyu tea is also known as pre rain tea, which is spring tea picked in Guyu season, also known as Erchun tea. In spring, the temperature is moderate, the rainfall is abundant, and the tea tree has been recuperating for half a year in winter, which makes the spring shoots and leaves plump, green in color, soft in texture, rich in vitamins and amino acids, making the spring tea taste fresh. It is said that the tea on this day will clear the fire, ward off evil spirits, and brighten the eyes. So no matter what the weather is, people will go to the tea mountain to pick some new tea and come back to drink.

Sacrifice to the sea

Guyu Festival is also called "Zhuangxing Festival" for fishermen to go fishing. During the rainy season, the sea water warms up, and a hundred fish travel to the shallow sea, which is a good day for fishing. As the saying goes: "riding the rain on the Internet." In order to go to sea safely and return with a full load, fishermen will hold a sea sacrifice on the day of Guyu to pray for the protection of the sea god. Therefore, the Guyu Festival is also known as the "Zhuang Xing Festival" for fishermen to go fishing. In the old days, there were sea temples or Niangniang temples in every village by the sea. When the time of sacrifice came, fishermen would carry their offerings to the temple to offer sacrifices. Some would carry them to the sea, beating gongs and drums, setting off firecrackers and offering sacrifices in front of the sea. The scene was very grand.

Go through the valley

In ancient times, there was a custom of "walking in the valley rain". On this day, young women went to the village to visit their relatives, and some came back after a walk in the wild. Moral and nature are integrated to strengthen the body.

Eat spring:

Before and after the rain, Chinese toon is mellow and refreshing, with high nutritional value, so it is said that Chinese toon is as tender as silk before the rain. People regard spring picking and eating Toona sinensis as "eating spring". Toona sinensis is generally divided into purple toon bud and green toon bud, especially purple toon bud.

Sacrifice to Cangjie

It is said that since the Han Dynasty, Guyu, Baishui County, Shaanxi Province, had the custom of offering sacrifices to Cangjie, Wenzu. According to the legend, Cangjie created characters to build heaven and earth. The Yellow Emperor was moved by it, and took "the rain of millet from heaven" as his reward for creating characters. From then on, there was the "Guyu" festival. Since then, every year during the Guyu Festival, villagers nearby have organized temple fairs to commemorate Cangjie.

Gu yutie

In order to reduce the harm of diseases and insect pests to crops and people, farmers put up grain rain stickers to pray for good luck. This custom is very popular in Shandong, Shanxi and Shaanxi. In the old days, in Linfen area of Shanxi Province, a painting of Zhang Tianshi Fu was pasted on the door, which was called "ban scorpion". The ban scorpion charms in Fengxiang area of Shaanxi Province are printed in woodcut, which shows that there is a great demand. On it is printed: "in March of Guyu, scorpions show off their prestige. The chicken has a mouth, and the poisonous insects turn into water. " In the center of the picture, the rooster carries insects, and there is a big scorpion under its claw. There's a charm on it. The saying that the cock treats the scorpion has long been popular among the people. Scorpions are also forbidden in Shandong folk custom. Qianlong six years of the Qing Dynasty "Xiajin County annals" records: "Guyu, cinnabar Book Fu Ban scorpion." The custom of "forbidding scorpions" reflects people's desire to get rid of pests and harvest safely.

Guyu paste is a kind of New Year pictures. It is engraved with the images of the divine chicken catching scorpion, the Heavenly Master removing the five poisons, or Taoist talismans. Some of them are also attached with words such as "Taishang Laojun is like the law, Guyu in March, snakes and scorpions will never live", "Guyu in March, Laojun in the sky, holding a seven star sword, cutting scorpion essence" and so on.

marvel at flowers,

Before and after the valley rain is also an important period of Peony Blossom, therefore, peony is also known as "Valley rain flower". "Guyu three dynasties to see peony", peony appreciation has become an important leisure entertainment.

Farming activities

It is recorded in Yueling 72 Hou Ji Jie: "in March, after the rain, the earth paste pulsates, and now it rains, and its valley is in the water. Rain is the sound of going away, like rain in my field. It's time for gaigu to sow from top to bottom. "

The Grain Rain connects the grain with the rain, implies the meaning of "rain produces all kinds of grain", and reflects the agroclimatic significance of "Grain Rain". The rainy season is the heading and flowering stage of winter wheat, and the seedling stage of spring corn and cotton. These crops need plenty of rain to promote development and growth.

literature

proverb

On rainy days, busy planting tobacco.

Grain Rain and cotton fertilizer.

It's good to grow cotton when it rains.

Chinese PinYin : Gu Yu