What does the Spring Equinox mean? The Spring Equinox requires a balance of yin and yang. There are some rules for dressing properly.

What does the Spring Equinox mean? You need to balance yin and yang during the Spring Equinox, and there are some particular ways to dress. Today is the Spring Equinox. After the Spring Equinox, the weather will still be sometimes cold and sometimes hot, which will cause an imbalance of yin and yang in the human body. Therefore, you need to harmonize yin and yang during the Spring Equinox to maintain your health, and pay attention to diet, clothing, etc. Below, I will tell you the correct way to maintain your health during the Spring Equinox, as well as some relevant news about the Spring Equinox!

What does the Spring Equinox mean?

The Spring Equinox is the midpoint of the ninety days of spring. One of the 24 solar terms. The day when the Sun is at 0° ecliptic longitude (the vernal equinox). On the day of the vernal equinox, the sun shines directly on the earth's equator. The seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres are opposite. In the northern hemisphere, it is the vernal equinox, and in the southern hemisphere, it is the autumnal equinox. The Spring Equinox is the New Year in Iran, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other countries, and has a history of 3,000 years.

"Collected Explanations of the Seventy-two Seasons of the Lunar Calendar" states: "In the middle of February, the word fen means half, which corresponds to the middle of a ninety-day period, so it is called fen. Autumn has the same meaning." "Spring and Autumn Fanlu: Yin Yang Out and In, Parts 1 and 2" states: "The spring equinox is when yin and yang are half and half, so the day and night are equal and the cold and heat are balanced."

When is the Spring Equinox?

In practice, it usually refers to the time when the Sun is actually at 0° of ecliptic longitude: March 20 or March 21 every year.

In terms of the time period, it refers to the position of the Sun between 0° and 15° of ecliptic longitude, which is approximately between March 20 and April 5.

Spring Equinox Customs: Standing an Egg

On the Spring Equinox every year, tens of millions of people around the world perform the Chinese folk custom of standing eggs upright.

How to play: Choose a smooth and symmetrical fresh egg that has been laid just four or five days ago, and gently stand it upright on the table. Although there are many failures, there are also many successes. The Spring Equinox becomes the best time to play the egg-standing game, hence the saying "When the Spring Equinox comes, the eggs are pretty."

Why is it easy to stand an egg upright on the day of the Spring Equinox? First of all, the Spring Equinox is a day when the day and night are of equal length in the northern and southern hemispheres. The Earth's axis, which is tilted at 66.5 degrees, and the orbital plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun are in a state of relative balance of forces, which is conducive to standing an egg upright. Secondly, the vernal equinox is in the middle of spring, which is neither too cold nor too hot, with red flowers and green grass. People feel relaxed, their minds are quick, their movements are agile, and it is easy to successfully stand an egg upright. More importantly, the surface of the egg is uneven, with many protruding "hills". The "mountain" is about 0.03 mm high, and the distance between the peaks is between 0.5 and 0.8 mm. According to the principle that three points form a triangle and determine a plane, as long as we find three "hills" and the triangle formed by these three "hills", and make the center of gravity of the egg pass through this triangle, then the egg can stand upright. In addition, it is best to choose eggs that are 4-5 days old. This is because the yolk band of the egg relaxes, the yolk sinks, and the center of gravity of the egg drops, which is conducive to the egg standing upright.

Spring Equinox Customs: Eating Sun Cake

The sun cake is a small square dessert made from a mixture of rice and granulated sugar. It has disappeared in the Beijing area for about a hundred years. The reporter saw at the Daoxiangcun store that the newly launched Sun Cake had a red "sun" printed on it, which had a strong folk flavor. Food experts say that during the Spring Equinox, when the weather is mild and the sun is bright, one should eat appropriate amounts of glutinous rice, red dates, etc. to regulate the balance of body functions. "Sun Cake" is made of glutinous rice skin and filled with date paste. White melon seeds and secret osmanthus are also added to the filling. It not only symbolizes a good harvest, but also meets people's dietary therapy requirements.

Memorial Day

In the Zhou Dynasty, there were memorial ceremonies on the Spring Equinox. Pan Rongbi of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Annals of the Capital's Customs": "On the Spring Equinox, the emperor worships the sun, and on the Autumnal Equinox, the emperor worships the moon. These are grand ceremonies of the country, and the scholars and common people are not allowed to offer sacrifices at their own will." The places for emperors to worship the sun were mostly located in the suburbs of Beijing. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Sun Altar was built. After that, the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to the Great Ming God (the Sun) at the Sun Altar on the day of the Spring Equinox. The morning sun was set at the hour of Mao on the Spring Equinox. In the years of Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng and Ren, the emperor would personally offer sacrifices, while in other years, officials would offer sacrifices on his behalf.

Eat spring vegetables

In the old days, there was a custom among the people to eat spring vegetables on the Spring Equinox. Spring vegetables are a kind of wild amaranth, also known as spring artemisia. On the day of the Spring Equinox, all the villagers go out to pick spring vegetables. The picked spring vegetables are usually boiled with fish fillets at home into a soup called "Spring Soup". There is also a saying that goes, "Spring soup cleanses the internal organs and cleanses the liver and intestines. It brings peace and health to the whole family, young and old." In the spring of the year, people still pray for peace at home and good health.

Rewarding the cattle

In the Jiangnan region, the custom of rewarding working oxen and offering sacrifices to birds is popular. The Spring Equinox has arrived, and the oxen have begun their year-long work. Glutinous rice balls are fed to the oxen as a reward; birds are sacrificed to thank them for reminding them of the farming season and to hope that the birds will not eat the crops, praying for a good harvest.

Spring Equinox Health Preservation Yin and Yang Balance Dress Thick on the Bottom and Thin on the Top

Today is the Spring Equinox. Experts say that during the warm Spring Equinox, health preservation should pay more attention to the balance of yin and yang, such as getting up early in the morning, wearing thick clothes on the bottom and thin clothes on the top, and eating less sour and more sweet foods. Since spring came earlier this year than in previous years, the focus of disease prevention at this time should be on preventing allergic diseases earlier than in previous years.

Want to balance yin and yang so that "food, clothing, shelter and love"

Wear thick clothes

"Thick on the bottom and thin on the top, keep your feet warm" is the "eight-character rule" for clothing during this solar term. Even if the weather is hot, proper "spring cover" is still necessary.

Get up early in the morning, at 6 o'clock

When the Spring Equinox arrives, getting up earlier than before will help the body's yang energy rise and yin energy settle. Six in the morning is a good time to get up.

Eat something sweet

According to the Five Elements theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver belongs to wood, and the liver governs spring, while the spleen belongs to earth. Traditional Chinese medicine theory also emphasizes that the five flavors enter the five internal organs, among which sour enters the liver and sweet enters the spleen. Therefore, during the Spring Equinox, you should eat less sour foods and more sweet foods, such as dates, honey, etc. If you want to soothe your liver and nourish your spleen, chrysanthemum and tremella porridge is a good choice. To make this health-preserving porridge, you need 20 grams of chrysanthemum, 20 grams of white fungus, and 100 grams of polished rice. Wash the chrysanthemums, soak the white fungus and remove the stems, and soak the polished rice for 1 hour in advance. After preparation, cook the glutinous rice into porridge. When the porridge becomes thick, add chrysanthemum and white fungus. When it is almost cooked, add sugar for seasoning.

Drink scented tea to nourish your mood

Rose tea and jasmine tea have the effect of soothing the liver and relieving depression. Chrysanthemum tea or locust flower tea also have the effect of regulating qi and stimulating appetite, both of which are helpful for nourishing and soothing the liver.

Eating "Spring Vegetables" on the Spring Equinox

After eating the Spring Equinox meal, the day becomes longer. After the Spring Equinox, the human body's metabolism is vigorous, blood circulation speeds up, and the secretion of endocrine hormones, especially growth hormone, increases. This is the best time for children to grow.

mushroom

It is rich in vitamin D, and dried shiitake mushrooms are also high in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron, which are indispensable substances for human body functions.

Toon

Non-infectious diseases are prone to occur around the Spring Equinox, such as high blood pressure, menstrual disorders, hemorrhoids and allergic diseases. Toona sinensis has a significant inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Pneumococcus, Shigella dysenteriae and Salmonella typhi. There are folk prescriptions that use toon to treat hemorrhoids, eczema, spermatorrhea, joint pain, bruises, loss of appetite, scurvy, etc.

Cilantro

It contains a large amount of vitamins and a large amount of calcium, iron, protein, fat, vitamin A, VB1, VB2 and other nutrients. It has the effects of lowering cholesterol, treating neurasthenia, clearing dryness and moistening the lungs. It is a low-calorie, high-nutrition vegetable. Eating it in moderation helps sleep.

Summary: During the Spring Equinox, the weather is unstable, sometimes cold and sometimes hot, so everyone must balance the yin and yang, eat more spring vegetables, and wear thin clothes on the top and thicker clothes on the bottom. Everyone must remember these things, do a good job of health preservation, and keep you healthy and free from illness!