The origin of vernal equinox solar terms
The vernal equinox is the fourth solar term in the "24 solar terms". "The vernal equinox, Yin and Yang. So it's hot and cold day and night. " A word "fen" tells the boundary between day and night, cold and heat. At this time, the longitude of the sun is 0 degrees, and the position of the sun is above the equator. It is recorded in the almanac that "the bucket refers to the vernal equinox, which is about Sunday, and the northern and southern hemispheres are equally divided day and night, which is also the half of spring, hence the name vernal equinox." The vernal equinox usually refers to the moment when the sun's apparent yellow meridian is at 0, around February 15 of the lunar calendar (about March 19 ~22 in the Gregorian calendar).
The vernal equinox is a traditional festival in China. On this day, the sun shines directly on the equator of the earth, and the seasons in the northern hemisphere are opposite. The northern hemisphere is the vernal equinox and the southern hemisphere is the autumnal equinox.
The vernal equinox was also called "Japan-China", "Day and Night Equinox" and "Midspring Moon" in ancient times. "Li Mingshi Yi" said: "The dividing line, the turn of Huang Chi, the sun stops here, and the day and night are equally divided." Therefore, the significance of the vernal equinox, first, refers to the equal division of day and night, each of which is 12 hours; Second, in ancient times, it was spring from beginning of spring to long summer, and the vernal equinox happened to be in the three months of spring, and spring was equally divided.
There are two theories about the origin of the vernal equinox. One is that the period from beginning of spring to Changxia is ancient spring, and the vernal equinox is in the middle of three months of spring, which divides the spring equally. For example, it is recorded in "Twenty-four Solar Terms": "Half-hour in February is half of ninety days, so it is called minutes. Autumn is synonymous. " Dong Zhongshu, who pays attention to the connection between man and nature, said in the first half of Spring and Autumn Annals: "The vernal equinox is half-phase, so it is cold and summer day and night." Day and night are basically equal in a year, and the other day is the autumn equinox. Moreover, from this day on, the day is longer than the night ~
The vernal equinox is also a festival and ritual celebration. The ancient emperors had a system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. Book of Rites: "Altar." Ying Da Shu by Confucius: "Also called vernal equinox". In the Qing Dynasty, Pan Rongbi wrote "Ji Sheng at the age of Emperor Jingdi": "The vernal equinox and autumn are divided into national gifts, and scholars should not worship them.
Traditional cuisine of vernal equinox
1, eat spring vegetables
In the past, there was an unbroken custom called "eating spring vegetables at the vernal equinox". "Spring vegetable" is a kind of wild amaranth, which villagers call "Artemisia chun". On the vernal equinox, the whole village went to pick spring vegetables. When searching in the wild, it is often green and thin, about the length of a palm. Picked spring vegetables are usually boiled with fish fillets at home, which is called "spring soup". There is a jingle that says, "Spring soup is dirty, but it washes the liver and intestines. The whole family is safe and healthy. " Slowly, it became a custom. Since the spring of the year, people still pray for peace and health at home.
2. Little carrots
Eating radish can not only ventilate up and down, but also play a role in eliminating diseases and relieving spring sleepiness. Among various vegetables for health care in spring, radish has the best effect. White radish has the functions of clearing away heat and promoting fluid production, regulating qi and promoting digestion, and resolving phlegm. Raw radish tends to clear away heat and promote fluid production, while cooked radish tends to promote qi and digestion. Can be used for preventing symptoms such as cough due to excessive phlegm, sore throat, anorexia, abdominal distension, constipation, etc.
3. Sun Cake
Sun cake is not only a tribute of the vernal equinox, but also a seasonal food, which means "the sun is high". Sun cakes, step by step. According to the custom of old Beijing, on the vernal equinox, you should worship the sun god and "please" eat sun cakes. Not only does "sun cake" mean beauty, but the setting of glutinous rice and stuffing also conforms to the health care concept of "preserving acid and sweetening" in spring.
Step 4 scroll around
According to the custom of old Beijing, in order to ward off evil spirits and pray for blessings, the spring equinox will eat snowballing usury. The origin of snowballing usury is unusual, and its processing materials include rhubarb rice noodles, soybeans, red bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, osmanthus fragrans, green shredded pork and melon seeds, which are enough to meet the requirements of diversification of food materials in the Nutritional Dietary Guide. Its production is divided into three processes: blank making, filling and molding. "Snowball Donkey" is wrapped in bean flour, golden in color, sweet with bean flavor, soft and unique, and it is a delicious food suitable for all ages.
Chunfen solar terms health
Give the stomach a holiday
People's intestines and stomach also need rest. Rice is eaten in the stomach. Except for the stomach, many organs of the human body have to be busy with it, and even the brain has to give in three points. First, we must ensure that qi and blood meet the needs of the stomach. This is why the brain will fall asleep after eating.
If we can give our intestines and stomach a rest day every week, it can effectively help us expel toxins accumulated in our bodies. Eat only two meals in the morning and evening on weekends, or replace one meal with porridge, fruit and honey water to reduce the gastrointestinal load.
Eat more seasonal dishes.
For more than 2000 years, Confucius taught us not to eat from time to time, which means not to eat food at this time. Seasonal dishes are also luck dishes. When we eat food, we should pay attention to "qi" and "taste". Because many foods we eat are made up of smells. And these drugs and foods can only play a good role if they use foods that meet the solar terms.
Spring seasonal dishes include leeks that nourish yin and strengthen yang; Bean sprouts, lettuce, onions, bean sprouts, garlic sprouts; Late spring fruits that nourish the liver and moisten the lungs, such as strawberries, plums, apricots, plums, mulberries and cherries.
Nourishing liver and expelling toxin
Spring should be in the liver, summer should be in the heart, long summer should be in the spleen, autumn should be in the lungs, winter should be in the kidney, so spring should be based on nourishing the liver. The purpose of nourishing the liver in spring is to coordinate the balance of yin and yang in the liver. In Chinese medicine, sweets can nourish the spleen and stomach, and jujube and yam are good choices.
Alcohol hurts the liver and intestines, so it is not advisable to drink alcohol in spring. Chrysanthemum tea, honeysuckle and even boiled water are the best drinks in spring.
Chunling health food information
The French always have wine on the table, while the Cantonese always have soup before and after meals. The sweetness and health-preserving effect of soup are well known. "Real Kung Fu" recently launched "Fresh Four Treasures Soup". From the perspective of medicated diet, the soup made of tremella, soybean, pork hind leg and chicken feet is genuine and can taste "home-cooked soup".