What are the stories behind the origin of the Spring Equinox? What does the Spring Equinox represent?

The arrival of the "Spring Equinox" solar term indicates that the winter chill has faded, the crops in the fields have awakened from hibernation, the plants in the fields have taken off their yellow coats and put on green clothes; the animals and plants have poked their heads out to enjoy the warmth of spring; and the people in the north have also begun to take off their winter cotton-padded jackets, put on light spring clothes, and work hard in the fields. So, what are the stories about the origin of the Spring Equinox? What does the Spring Equinox represent? Below, let's take a look at the introduction of the Encyclopedia Knowledge Network!

Contents of this article

1. The story of the origin of the Spring Equinox

2. What does the Spring Equinox represent?

3. Folk customs of the Spring Equinox

The story of the origin of the Spring Equinox

Long, long ago, there was an emperor who loved people and cared about their lives. His name was Yan Emperor. When he knew that people needed more food to fill their stomachs, he prayed to the heavens for the seeds of grains. Therefore, the heavens sent a red bird to deliver the grain seeds to Yan Emperor. Yan Emperor, who loved people, immediately distributed the grain seeds to everyone. People happily planted the grain seeds in the ground, looking forward to a good harvest day by day. But after a long time, the grain seedlings did not bloom, and there was no harvest of grain.

So Emperor Yan asked the heavens, and the heavens said that it was because the sun had hidden and fallen asleep, and the seeds of the five grains did not receive enough sunlight, so they could not grow flowers or fruits. Emperor Yan was very worried that his people would not have enough food and would not live well, so he asked the heavens how to call out the sun. The heavens said: It takes a person to ride a five-colored bird on the day of the spring equinox, when the day and night are equally divided, to go to Penglai Island to find the sun and hang it in the sky again. Penglai Island is a fairy island, and no one has ever been there. It is said that it takes many difficulties to reach the island. For the sake of the people, Emperor Yan decided to go to the island himself to find the sun.

On the day of the Spring Equinox, Emperor Yan rode on a five-colored bird and flew across the vast ocean to Penglai Island. Strangely enough, many birds dared not approach the rough sea for fear of being swept into the sea. But on the day of the Spring Equinox, when Emperor Yan rode on a five-colored bird, the sea was very calm and blue.

When Emperor Yan arrived at Penglai Island, he picked up the sun, rode on the back of a bird and flew back to his hometown. He hung the sun on the top of the city wall of his hometown, so that the sun's light would shine on the earth. From then on, the earth had a good harvest and the people lived in peace. Emperor Yan was revered as the sun god by people.

People were very grateful to the sun god Yan Emperor, so every year on the Spring Equinox, they would always worship the sun. People would also imitate Yan Emperor by standing on the back of a bird. Later, people even discovered that even eggs could stand up on this day.

After the spring equinox, swallows will fly back from the south, spring thunder will begin, and lightning will arrive.

What does the Spring Equinox represent?

First, the "Spring Equinox" represents the time when day and night are equal.

When the season enters the "Spring Equinox", from the perspective of astronomical science, the sun's direct point moves to the equator. After the "Spring Equinox", the sun's direct point continues to move northward to the northern hemisphere. The days are longer and the nights are shorter in all parts of the northern hemisphere, while the days are shorter and the nights are longer in all parts of the southern hemisphere. The "Spring Equinox" is a critical point. The "Spring Equinox" is the three months from "Beginning of Spring" to "Beginning of Summer", which divides the spring season equally. The four seasons divided by the working people of my country use the "Four Beginnings" in the twenty-four solar terms as the starting points of the four seasons, and the two equinoxes and two solstices as the midpoints, namely the Spring Equinox and the Autumn Equinox, the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice. Therefore, spring starts with "Beginning of Spring", the "Spring Equinox" as the midpoint, and the "Beginning of Summer" as the end point. Therefore, the "Spring Equinox" represents the midpoint of the equal division.

Second, the "Spring Equinox" represents the rise in temperature.

The arrival of the "Spring Equinox" indicates that the winter chill has faded, the crops in the fields have awakened from hibernation, the plants in the fields have taken off their yellow coats and put on green clothes; the animals and plants have poked their heads out to enjoy the warmth of spring; and people in the north have also begun to take off their winter cotton-padded jackets, put on light spring clothes, and work hard in the fields. From this time on, the earth is sunny, spring is warm, the rain has stopped, and the scenery is beautiful, and all things are growing. As the saying goes, "The spring scenery is intoxicating, and there are thousands of willows." Who doesn't like such a good season, and what land doesn't have all things growing?

Third, the "Spring Equinox" represents the beginning of the busy farming season.

With the arrival of the "Spring Equinox", farm work in rural areas will officially start. The earth is back to spring, everything wakes up, wheat joints and begins to turn green, wild flowers in the fields bloom, apricot flowers, plum blossoms, rape flowers, peach blossoms, etc. all show their beautiful cheeks, butterflies flutter among the flowers, bees work hard to collect honey; apple tree flowers, pear blossoms, etc. are in bud, a scene full of spring; farmers start to work in the fields, some spray pesticides on the crops in the fields, some weed the orchard, etc., all working for the good growth of crops. Farmers often say "a year's plan lies in spring, and a day's plan lies in autumn", which shows that the Spring Equinox is a very important solar term for farmers. Sowing the seeds of hope in spring can be harvested in golden autumn. Therefore, the arrival of the Spring Equinox heralds the beginning of the busy spring farming production.

In short, the Spring Equinox is a relatively important solar term. It not only has astronomical significance, but also has obvious characteristics in terms of climate. The arrival of the Spring Equinox brings warmth to people. People plant in the spring breeze, bathe in the sun, look at the beautiful scenery of the fields, revel in the beauty, and enjoy a day with equal day and night. [Rural Guanzhong] tells you here that although the weather becomes warmer during the Spring Equinox, it is not advisable to reduce clothing too early or too much. Drink more warm water, keep a regular schedule, and sleep regularly. Because the weather at this time has a large temperature difference between day and night, it is easy to catch a cold if you are not careful. At the same time, farmers, whether they are spring farming or working outside, must pay attention to the changes in the solar terms and do a good job in diet and clothing to stay healthy.

Spring Equinox Folk Customs

1. Stand the egg

"When the Spring Equinox comes, eggs stand up nicely." On the Spring Equinox, the yin and yang are equal, so it is easiest to stand an egg upright. The reason is that the Spring Equinox is the day when the day and night are equal in the northern and southern hemispheres, and the Earth's axis, which is tilted at 66.5 degrees, and the orbital plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun are in a state of relative balance of forces, which is very conducive to standing an egg upright. Standing an egg upright on the Spring Equinox can bring good luck.

2. Flying a kite

The rising fresh air and the breeze are the best time to fly kites. You can fly kites to stretch your muscles and eliminate "spring sleepiness" and "depression".

3. Eat spring vegetables

"Eat spring vegetables on the Spring Equinox." "Spring vegetables" are a kind of wild amaranth, which the villagers call "Spring Green Artemisia." On the Spring Equinox, the spring vegetables picked are usually boiled with fish fillets at home, which is called "Spring Soup."

4. Sending Spring Ox

The Spring Equinox is coming soon, and people will send pictures of spring oxen to every household. The pictures are made of red or yellow paper with the solar terms of the whole year and pictures of farmers plowing the fields, which are called "Spring Ox Pictures".

5. Sticky bird mouth

On the day of the Spring Equinox, farmers have a holiday according to custom. Every family eats rice dumplings, and they also cook a dozen or twenty or thirty rice dumplings without fillings, stick them with thin bamboo forks and place them on the edge of the field outdoors. This is called "catching the sparrows' beaks" to prevent them from destroying the crops.

6. Spring Festival

The Spring Equinox in February begins with tomb sweeping and ancestor worship, also known as the Spring Festival. Before tomb sweeping, a grand ceremony of ancestor worship is held in the ancestral hall, with drummers playing, ritual students reading sacrificial texts, and leading the three offerings ceremony.