With the falling snowflakes, the days have quietly arrived on February 4, 2024, the beginning of spring! The beginning of spring is the beginning of all things, which means that spring is coming and winter is quietly gone.
There are four seasons in a year – spring, summer, autumn and winter, a season with three months, and two solar terms per month. The six solar terms in spring are: the beginning of spring, rain, stunning, vernal equinox, Qingming, and valley rain.
The beginning of spring begins with the first solar term of spring. It means that everything is revived, and the whole earth is thriving.
Regarding the beginning of spring, our local custom is to write small cards to welcome the beginning of spring. On the day of the beginning of spring, every family gets up early to clean up the yard of their home. Welcome the arrival of spring with a clean and tidy appearance. From 8 o'clock to 9 o'clock in the morning, when the sun rises, start to write small cards, use the red paper to write couplets to open rectangular cards, and write four-word words about spring on each card, such as: spring is auspicious, spring is auspicious, the earth is rejuvenated, all things are revived, spring flowers are fragrant, and another spring is played (this is used when there are two springs in a year) and so on. Then stick the small card on the door, tree, water tank, kitchen door, etc., and stick it on the high point, which means that all things are revived, and it seems to wake up everything.
Regarding Lichun, we still have the custom of eating dumplings in our local area. Spring vegetables (carrots, cabbage, fennel white, etc.) and meat are mixed into dumpling filling, and eaten as dumplings, which means "biting spring" and biting spring.
There are proverbs about the beginning of spring: "The plan of the year lies in the spring, and the plan of the day lies in the morning", "The spring fights for the day, the summer fights for the time, and the major events of the year should not be delayed", "At the end of the year of the beginning of spring, the land is planned early" and so on. These proverbs are the precious experience left by our wise ancestors, we must cherish the time, seize the opportunity, no matter where we are, no matter what age we are in, no matter what industry we are engaged in, no matter what kind of work we are engaged in, we should do a good job in the beginning of spring to plan for a year! In the words of the ancients, it is "not against the agricultural time, sow in time".
I wish you all a happy beginning of spring!!