Grain in ear: crops and crops are flourishing, galloping without rest
2022-06-06
In the twenty-four solar terms naming system, grain in ear is a typical solar term that directly and vividly reflects agricultural work. According to the collection of the seventy-two seasons of the lunar calendar, "grain in ear, the May Festival, means that the grain with grain in ear can be planted." In traditional China, agriculture is the foundation of the country. For agricultural production, "farming" is undoubtedly the key link. Farming generally refers to agricultural labor, but in detail, farming refers to the sowing of grain, and farming refers to the harvest. And grain in ear is just such a solar term that crops are harvested as well as seeds are planted. Therefore, grain in ear is a solar term with busy planting and harvest. It is not only full of farmers' hope to sow cloth, but also conveys the joy of agricultural harvest. Planting seedlings and cutting wheat Grain in ear is homonymous with "busy planting", which means busy farming. However, the "busy" of grain in ear is not only busy with "planting", but also busy with "harvesting". Therefore, there is a saying in the folk proverb that "grain in ear, continuous harvesting and planting". In grain in ear season, summer crops with awns need to be harvested urgently, and autumn crops rice need to be sown and distributed. Neither of them can be delayed, otherwise the annual harvest will be affected. According to the agricultural proverb, "when the wheat is ripe, it will fall if it is not harvested quickly". If the wheat is ripe, there will be ear dropping, grain shedding and other phenomena, which is easy to cause yield reduction. At the same time, grain in ear is the time bottom line for the distribution of many crops. The agricultural proverbs such as "after grain in ear, do not plant strong" say exactly this truth. If rice is not transplanted in time, it is likely that the autumn Valley is not ripe and the year is hopeless. Therefore, the "busy" of grain in ear is reflected in the word "rush" of "rush for seed and harvest", which is a vivid interpretation of the language of "spring competing for day and summer competing for time". For wheat growing areas, it is better to have sunny grain in ear. According to the agricultural proverb, "grain in ear is busy and wheat is yellow. It is like a dragon's mouth trying to seize grain". Here, "dragon's mouth" refers to rainfall, which is the "first fear" of "three fears of wheat harvest, rain, hail and strong wind". Long rain will not only increase the probability of wheat lodging and mildew, but also affect a series of farming activities such as harvesting and drying. However, in rice growing areas, grain in ear is suitable for rain. In Zhejiang, Guizhou and other places, there is an agricultural proverb that "grain in ear is busy farming when it rains, and there is no rain for the Spring Festival". In Fujian and other places, there is a saying that "grain in ear is dry, and the shoulder pole is broken". Rice, as the name suggests, grows because of water. Grain in ear is short of water, and rice cannot be transplanted, which will bring the burden of water and irrigation to farmers. Therefore, the grain in ear season of "planting seedlings and cutting wheat" also clearly represents the industrial characteristics of Agriculture: the harvest does not simply depend on the payment of farmers, but also depends on the help of nature. Good weather is the foundation of a bumper harvest in agriculture. As for the grain in ear solar term, farmers pay special attention to the weather conditions such as wind, rain and thunder clouds, and speculate on the amount of rain and the abundance of the year. Burning clouds is a weather phenomenon that farmers around the country focus on during the grain in ear season. It is regarded as a sign of rainy weather in the future. Agricultural proverbs such as "grain in ear burns the sky, and rains eighteen times" and "grain in ear burns the sky, and the summer solstice water ripples" are widely spread in at least 20 provinces such as Anhui, Hubei and Yunnan. The falling rain of grain in ear indicates a high yield of fishery. According to the records of Pucheng County in Fujian Province, "the rain of grain in ear every day mainly produces more fish." In summer, rain and thunder always accompany each other. Hearing the thunder of grain in ear is regarded as a sign of good harvest by farmers in many areas. For example, there is a saying spread in many places such as Guangxi that "Lei Gong beats grain in ear, and millet is delivered to the full warehouse". In the busy season of planting and harvesting, Chinese farmers are making full preparations for the next harvest. An Miao marries a tree and looks forward to a bumper year In grain in ear season, farmers are everywhere in the fields of hope, which not only conveys the joy of summer harvest, but also presents the hope for the next autumn harvest. Farmers in Jixi and Shexian counties, Anhui Province, after planting rice in the grain in ear solar term, will choose a day to hold "an Miao Festival" on the first day or the second day of the lunar calendar. They will invite the statue of their ancestor Wang Huagong to parade in the field, which is called "Wang Gong watching rice". The Miao Festival is a "major agricultural inspection", which reflects the farmers' psychology and expectation that "the Miao people are at peace, and the world is at peace". In the Yunhe Meiyuan mountain area of Zhejiang Province, there is an agricultural folk custom of grain in ear ploughing and summer ploughing. It is said that cattle are the forage officials of Tianting and sow grass seeds once a year. One spring drought killed grass seeds and livestock. The ox officer was merciful and secretly sowed grass seeds. As a result, wild grass grew wildly. Although the livestock had feed, the farmers could not cultivate it. Heaven punished Niu Guan and ordered him to plough. Therefore, the local people also call the "grain in ear ploughing Festival" the "king of cattle Festival". The ploughing Festival is centered on sacrificing the God of the field, rewarding the cattle, and the ploughing ceremony. It includes many activities, such as setting up a "new" to greet the God, patrolling and praying for blessings, performing God plays, eating xianniang rice, and so on. After a lively time, people will usher in a year of busy farming. In addition to the custom of planting seedlings, there is also a fishery production custom of making shrimp skin with grain in ear and drying shrimp skin in the southeast coast of China. For fruit farmers in Hebei, Shandong and other places, grain in ear is a good time to "marry trees", especially "marry jujubes". For example, Hebei new Annals of Yanshan: "grain in ear Festival, cut wheat and marry jujubes." Marrying a tree means simply cutting or cutting around the body of the fruit tree with a knife. People believe that this can promote the fruit tree to bear more fruit. Plum wine preserved flower god Entering the grain in ear solar term, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and other regions in China will have a continuous rainy day for about a month. As it is the plum ripening season in the south of the Yangtze River, it is called the "plum rainy season" and the folk is also called the "yellow plum day". As for the specific period of Mei rainy season, different places often depend on local conditions. Some areas are defined as after grain in ear and before the summer solstice, and some areas are defined as April to May of the lunar calendar, etc. People call the beginning time of Mei rainy season as "entering Mei" or "standing Mei", and the end time as "leaving Mei" or "breaking Mei". As far as Jiangnan area is concerned, a common saying is that plum blossoms enter on the Ren day of the grain in ear solar term. Green plum wine cooking is a typical eating custom in the south of the Yangtze River. Plum is an important condiment in ancient China. Plum can also be eaten daily, but green plum tastes sour and needs to be boiled or pickled before eating. Sudongpo's "giving plum on the ridge": "if you don't take advantage of the green plum to taste the boiled wine, you should see the yellow plum cooked in the drizzle." At the latest in the Song Dynasty, green plum and boiled wine were two concomitant seasonal features. Among them, "boiled wine" is a general term for wine, which refers to wine made by steaming, boiling, sealing and storing, while green plum played the role of "serving wine and vegetables". In later generations, another kind of "green plum cooking wine" gradually appeared, that is, green plum was put into yellow rice wine, and then drunk with a gentle fire. The most romantic folk custom in grain in ear season is probably the "God of preserved flowers". As the saying goes, "a dish of grain in ear needs no food". It is midsummer when grain in ear is planted, and most of the flowering period has passed. At this time, the butterflies have no pollen to collect. The ancients believed that the God of flowers controlled the flowering period. The grain in ear solar term and the withering of all flowers meant that the God of flowers was about to return. In the Grand View Garden of a dream of Red Mansions, the girls wove various sedan chairs, horses, flags and flags with petals, willows and silk gauzes, hung them on the branches and embroidered ribbons to practice for the God of flowers. During the grain in ear season, Chinese farmers in the north and south of the river are busy in the fields of hope, laying out a magnificent picture of agriculture. No pains, no gains. The colorful cultural landscape of grain in ear not only shows the hard work, wisdom and expectations of Chinese farmers, but also indicates the genetic code for the endless growth of Chinese agricultural civilization. (outlook new era)
Edit：Yuanqi Tang Responsible editor：Xiao Yu
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