Xiazhi Solar term — Summer Solstice

The first day of this solar term is the summer solstice, that is, the longest day of the year. In the Chinese agricultural calendar, this day is considered the middle of summer, the time of maximum yang strength and yin weakness. From this point on, Yin Qi begins to grow, the days become shorter. There comes a period of summer heat, which will last until the beginning of autumn (August 7—9). Together with the rapid flowering of nature, harmful insects and poisonous creatures come to life, and the intense rays of the sun threaten to burn both creatures and humans to ashes. Under these conditions, protection from summer heat, harmful, poisonous and biting animals takes on special significance

Xiazhi solar term is the tenth of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar. This is the fourth of the summer solar terms; it occurs annually on June 21-22 and coincides with the second half of the second month of summer - the month of the Horse. The Xiazhi season ends around July 7-8, giving way to the Xiaoshu solar term - Lesser Heat.

The first day of this solar term is the summer solstice, on this day the Sun reaches its maximum ecliptic longitude. The Summer Solstice is believed to be one of the earliest of the 24 seasons of the Chinese agricultural calendar.

CLIMAT

In the tenth lesser solar term of the Chinese agricultural calendar, solar heat on the surface of the earth continues to accumulate, not yet reaching its maximum amount. The hot season will arrive a couple of weeks later and will last until August 7-9 - the beginning of autumn. During this period there are sharp temperature fluctuations.

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For 15 days after the onset of the Summer Solstice, most of China experiences relatively high air temperatures, ample sunlight, and fairly rapid crop growth. During this period, precipitation has a special impact on agricultural crops. People say that “during the summer solstice season, a raindrop is priceless.”

TRADITION

The threshold of summer is one of the oldest holidays in the Middle Kingdom. On this day, the most powerful natural forces awaken. Until the Qing dynasty (XV century), the Xiazhi holiday was a public holiday - this day was declared an official holiday.

On the longest day of the year, young ladies give each other fans to fan themselves with during the hot season. It is also customary to give something on this day that saves from heat and insects. Wormwood is very popular for these purposes. During the holiday, wormwood leaves are hung on the gates of houses, and wormwood wreaths are placed on the head. Artemisia leaf has a pungent flavor and heating properties. Inhaling the aroma of wormwood is believed to counteract the perception of external pathogenic qi.

The property of wormwood that repels mosquitoes is also extremely important in the summer. It is no coincidence that in China, when bathing children in the summer, wormwood infusion is added to the bath, which helps protect them from these annoying insects.

Celebrate the solar term with noodles. There are many sayings about this in China. For example: “Dumplings - on the threshold of winter, noodles - on the threshold of summer” or “After noodles on the threshold of summer - the day decreases noodle by noodle.”

HEALTH

According to traditional Chinese medicine, in the summer you need to maintain clarity and harmony of spirit, tune yourself to positive emotions, maintain a cheerful mood, and show a keen interest in the world around you. Optimism and good mood contribute to the normal circulation of qi energy. And, conversely, laziness, apathy, irritability and melancholy interfere with the free movement of “qi”, which leads to illness. Therefore, be optimistic, avoid excessive suffering and joy, protect yourself from mental and physical injuries.

To maintain health at the end of June - at the beginning of July, it is very important to adapt to the rhythm of nature, that is, to be like the sun - go to bed late and get up early. In the period after the summer solstice, it is necessary to pay attention to additional sleep. In the summer, the days are longer and the nights are shorter; in hot weather, night sleep is incomplete. In this regard, it is necessary to organize every day so that there is time for daytime sleep, thus helping to restore physical and mental strength. It is preferable to sleep for about an hour during the day.

Another way to maintain tone is to take a warm shower every day to wash away sweat and dirt. Taking a warm shower every day is an effective measure to prevent sunstroke. The pressure of water produces a massage effect, and massage is known to calm the nervous system, help dilate blood vessels, improve blood circulation and nourish the skin, reduce muscle strain, relieve fatigue, improve sleep and strengthen the immune system.

To maintain health, sports and physical education play an equally important role. In general, these very useful activities are best transferred to the early morning or evening, when it is pleasantly cool. It is best to exercise in places where there is plenty of fresh air. From this point of view, in summer a park or the shore of a reservoir is much preferable to a gym or an indoor swimming pool.

If conditions permit, you can go on vacation to the forest, out of town or to a seaside resort. It is not recommended to engage in strenuous sports; the most preferable are walking, slow running, taijiquan (a type of Chinese gymnastic exercise), and exercise.

NUTRITION

The summer diet is also designed to balance active fluid loss as a result of increased sweating. The fact is that along with sweat, our body loses a large amount of mineral salts. And this causes an exacerbation of heart diseases, the normal pulsation of the heart is disrupted. According to the theory of Chinese medicine, in such a situation you should eat sour and salty foods.

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In addition, in the summer the heart functions actively and the kidneys function less actively, so although the body experiences “heat,” in fact, “cold” prevails inside. Therefore, in summer you should not eat a lot of cold food or drink cold drinks.

The main importance in human nutrition is the consumption of food with the properties of coolness and neutrality, that is, food that helps replenish Yin and fluid in the body, cooling the pathogenic summer heat. Among vegetables, these are cucumbers and tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants, watermelons and melons, among fruits - strawberries and European types of cherries, plums and pears.

In hot summer weather, our digestive function is weakened, so light food is ideal. The hotter the summer, the less our diet should contain foods that are “hot” in nature, such as beef or lamb. Vegetables and fruits are the best friends of our health during the summer solstice - Xiazhi. It is very important to avoid fatty, fried, high-calorie foods, which cause depletion of Yin and body fluids.