As the third of China's 24 solar terms, the sting announces the official opening of the mid-spring season, the earth is full of vitality, and the spring thunder roars, showing vigorous vitality. The sting is the most rapidly rising time of the year, and with its arrival, the spring thunder begins to hiss, waking up insects that are sleeping underground. Hence its name "sting", which is actually due to the fact that the weather warms up and the insects end their hibernation.
First of all, let's pay attention to the phenomenon of "early sting" that has emerged this year. Normally, the sting is the solar term in the second month of the lunar calendar, and it is no later than the fifteenth day of February.
According to the ancient saying, if the lunar time of the stinging festival is in the first month, it is called "early sting"; If it's in mid-February, it's a "late sting". And this year is obviously an "early sting", marking the beginning of spring stepping into the earth earlier than in previous years.
This year's sting came early, as early as March 5, and the corresponding lunar time is the 25th day of the first lunar month. The reason for the advance of this sting is that the beginning of spring is before the Spring Festival, so the time of sting is also advanced. Compared with last year, last year's sting was on March 6, and the corresponding lunar time was February 15, which can be said to be relatively late.
Interestingly, it was the latest sting, because February 15 is the time of stinging, so there was no spring equinox in February last year, and a leap month had to be inserted, so there was a leap February. The early arrival of the sting also means that the warmer weather will come earlier.
This year's sting happened to coincide with the Warehouse Filling Festival. Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a great drought in the north for three consecutive years, and the people could not eat, but the imperial court was still collecting imperial grain, and the people were miserable, and people died of starvation abounded.
Later, a ** in charge of grain opened a warehouse and saved people's lives. But in the end, he chose ** because he was worried that the court would hold him accountable. That day was the twenty-fifth day of the first month, in order to thank this ** for saving his life, people set this day as the "Warehouse Filling Festival".
Generally speaking, the warehouse filling festival is before the sting, but this year it is rare to collide with the stinging solar term. The establishment of the warehouse filling festival is not only to commemorate the heroic deeds of that **, but also to remind us to cherish food. Behind this tradition is people's expectation of a good harvest and a yearning for a better life.
1.Buy rice, flour, and charcoal in advance.
On this special day, the combination of the sting and the "barn-filling festival" gives people a special task - to add grain, such as rice or flour, to the granary, an act known as "barn-filling".
It symbolizes an addition to the existing harvest and hopes for a good harvest in the future. This custom also reminds us of the difficulties of life and emphasizes the importance of preparing in advance to avoid falling into the dilemma of being in a hurry.
In addition to the addition of food, residents in some areas also add water to the tanks and stack coal at the door on this day to welcome the arrival of the new year and hope for better days ahead. In addition, farmers also have taboos about the first grain on the day of the sting.
On the day of the silo filling festival, that is, the 25th day of the first lunar month, people used to sprinkle the sieved ash in the yard to form the outline of a granary, and put five grains in it to symbolize the abundant harvest of the five grains and express the expectation of sufficient grain reserves. Therefore, before the arrival of the warehouse filling festival, it is necessary to prepare rice, noodles, firewood, charcoal and other materials in advance.
2.Prepare for spring plowing and spring planting in advance.
The agricultural proverb also says: "When it comes to the stinging festival, the hoe does not stop." With the arrival of the sting, the temperature rises rapidly, and the spring thunder and rain begin to increase, marking the beginning of spring plowing operations in most parts of our country. There is no doubt that the sting marks the beginning of spring farming.
It is often said that negligence can lead to long-term losses. The season of sting has arrived, and it is important to plough the idle land thoroughly to increase the moisture content of the soil and thus lay a solid foundation for the growth of crops.
At the same time, the farm tools need to be cleaned and organized to ensure that seeds and fertilizers are fully stocked, and the fertilizer stored in the winter should be transported to the field in preparation for spring planting.
It is worth noting that the stinging solar term marks the beginning of spring ploughing, but it does not mean that sowing can be carried out immediately. Sowing too early may suffer from the inverted spring cold, resulting in seed loss.
3.Hit the villain.
There is also an interesting custom of stinging this day, namely"Hit the villain. "。At this time, various insects became active, and in order to drive them away, the ancients used to smoke the four corners of the house with wormwood. This custom has evolved to become a symbol of bad luck. Someone will make a figurine out of paper and slam it with the soles of their shoes or sticks to pray that everything will go well and that they will not be disturbed again.
The old man told us that there are five zodiac signs in the year of the dragon that need special attention to the ritual of "beating the villain". According to our ancestors, Tai Sui offenders are prone to trouble during the year.
Therefore, we should be especially careful of those who commit Tai Sui, especially on the day of the sting. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, and there are five zodiac signs that are particularly prone to Tai Sui, which are the Dragon, Dog, Sheep, Ox, and Rabbit. On the day of the sting, don't forget to perform the "villain-beating" ceremony.
4.Eat pears. In Chinese folklore, there is a custom called "eating pears". First of all, the name of the pear is homophonic with "li". Therefore, after the sting, germs are easy to breed, and insects begin to wake up. Eating pears means warding away diseases and pests, and hoping for health and safety in the new year.
Secondly, the weather is dry when the sting occurs, and people tend to feel dry mouth. Eating pears can help moisten the lungs, relieve cough, nourish yin and clear heat, and can alleviate these symptoms. Therefore, eating pears on the day of the sting is a beneficial traditional custom, which not only symbolizes freedom from diseases and pests, but also helps to regulate the body.
Overall, this year's Surprise Festival and the "Warehouse Filling Festival" have skillfully met, blending strong culture and folk traditions. In the upcoming feast of stunning, we need to remember these four points. I wish you all good health and family happiness in the new year!