With the Spring Festival approaching, a folk rumor about "there is no spring in the Year of the Dragon, it is the Year of the Widow, and it is not suitable for marriage" has attracted widespread attention and heated discussions among netizens. In this regard, some netizens expressed concern and left a message on the official ** of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, suggesting that the Ministry of Civil Affairs or other ministries and commissions jointly issue a document to guide the public not to be affected by superstition and social rumors, and to hold a wedding in the Year of the Dragon normally. The Department of Social Affairs of the Ministry of Civil Affairs expressed concern about this recommendation.
Some netizens pointed out that the beginning of spring at the end of the lunar calendar in 2024 makes this year called the "Year of the Widow" by some folk rumors, which is not suitable for marriage, etc., which is seriously contrary to common sense of life and scientific common sense. They suggested that the Ministry of Civil Affairs or other ministries should jointly issue a popular propaganda article for the whole society, so as to guide the public to marry normally in the Year of the Dragon, without being influenced by superstition and social rumors.
The term "widow's year" is derived from the "widow's year", also known as the "slippery year", "no spring year" or "blind year", which refers to the year when there is no "beginning of spring" throughout the lunar year. People called this kind of year without "beginning of spring" "no spring year", and later some people coined the term "widow's year" based on the word "widow".
In fact, the "Year of the Ox" in 2019, the Year of the Ox in 2021, the upcoming Year of the Dragon in 2024, and the Year of the Goat in 2027 are all "Year of the Moon".
For 2023, due to the occurrence of "leap February", there are two "Beginning of Spring" solar terms in this year, while the Spring Festival in 2024 is on February 10, the beginning of spring is on February 4, the Spring Festival in 2025 is on January 29, and the beginning of spring is on February 3, so there is no "Beginning of Spring" solar term throughout the lunar calendar in 2024.
The ancients associated "the beginning of spring" with fertility, believing that if spring does not stand, reproduction will not flourish, and "no spring" is equivalent to "no child" and "no queen", so it is considered unlucky to marry in the "no spring year".
However, experts say that the "Year of the Widow" is not suitable for marriage is absurd and has no scientific basis. The so-called "no spring year" is just a coincidence between the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, and the presence or absence of the beginning of spring is only caused by the time difference of different calendars, and will not have any impact on personal life and marital happiness.
Although experts have repeatedly debunked the rumors, the saying that "widows are not suitable for marriage" still appears from time to time. Some ** analysts believe that this is because some businesses use this superstitious statement for marketing, and every few years there will be some rumors about buying canned peaches, transfer beads, etc., which are actually just marketing strategies. There are also comments that behind the fact that people choose to get married in a specific year, there is the encouragement and drive of businessmen.