Rain Water Festival customs and what to eat to maintain health during the Rain Water Festival

Origin of Rainwater: Rainwater ranks second among the 24 solar terms in the lunar calendar, after the Beginning of Spring. Fifteen days after the beginning of spring every year, which is around February 18th, when the sun's ecliptic longitude is at 330 degrees, it is the Rain Water solar term. After the Rain Water solar term, all things begin to sprout and the vibrant spring is about to arrive. At this time, not only does the weather gradually warm up, the ice and snow begin to melt, and the precipitation begins to increase, so this season is called Rain Water. The Rain Water solar term begins on February 18th or 19th and ends on March 4th or 5th. Folk experts told us that there are four solar terms that reflect precipitation phenomena, namely Rain Water and Grain Rain in spring and Light Snow and Heavy Snow in winter.

Folk customs:

1. Celebrating the birthday of parents: In the Hakka ethnic group of Dongshan, Chengdu, Sichuan, on the day of Rain Water, married daughters will bring their husbands and children back to their parents’ home to “celebrate the birthday of their parents”. There are usually two kinds of gifts: one is a 12-foot-long red cotton belt, in the hope that the elderly will have a long life; the other is "canned meat" made by stewing pig's feet, soybeans, and kelp in a casserole and then sealing it with red paper and red rope, to thank parents for their upbringing. If it is a newly married couple, the father-in-law and the mother-in-law will give them an umbrella that can protect them from wind and rain, and wish the couple a smooth and safe life.

2. Zhuangbaiji: In the rural areas of western Sichuan, on the day of Rain Water, some mothers with children will appear on the roadside early, waiting to find a godfather or godmother for their children . Whenever someone passes by here, regardless of gender, age or status, they will push the children down and kowtow to them. Its purpose is to ensure the safe and healthy growth of children.

3. Predicting the color of rice : Use the method of stir-frying glutinous rice popcorn to predict the rice harvest of the year. The more glutinous rice flowers that pop out, the better the harvest will be.

4. Good luck with marriage: In rural Sichuan, on the day of the Rain Water solar term, a married infertile daughter will return to her parents’ home. Her mother will sew a pair of red pants for her so that she can get pregnant as soon as possible after wearing them.

When is the Rain Water solar term in the Year of the Horse in 2014? The specific time is: it starts at 1:59:29 am on February 19 and ends at 2:14:59 am on March 6. In one second, it will be the Jingzhe solar term.

What vegetables, fruits and foods are good to eat for health care during the Rain Water solar term? What are the things to pay attention to?

1. Red dates: As the weather gets warmer, people’s outdoor activities will increase and their demand for calories will increase. We all know that sweets are the main source of calories, and red dates can not only increase calories, but also have the effect of nourishing the stomach and spleen.

2. Honey: Spring is chilly and it is the time when people are most likely to catch a cold. Drinking some honey water at this time can not only clear the lungs and detoxify, enhance immunity, but also replenish qi, moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements.

3. Spring sprouts: Everyone knows the importance of eating vegetables, and when eating vegetables, you should choose seasonal vegetables. What vegetables are good to eat in spring? Of course, spring sprouts, such as toon, bean sprouts, garlic sprouts, bean sprouts and lettuce.

4. Chives: Due to the changeable climate in spring, it is particularly important to maintain yang energy . Chives, especially spring leeks, are particularly rich in nutritional value and have the effects of invigorating the stomach, refreshing the mind, strengthening the kidneys and protecting yang.

5. Spring bamboo shoots: In the south, spring bamboo shoots are known as the "best vegetarian food" and have been loved by people since ancient times. For example, Shanghai people like to eat "wolfberry and spring bamboo shoots", Nanjing people like to eat "spring bamboo shoots and chicken", and Zhejiang people like to eat "Southern meat and spring bamboo shoots".

6. Cherries: Cherries are rich in nutrients, especially iron. They have the effects of nourishing blood and beauty, replenishing qi and dispelling wind, and strengthening the spleen and appetite . It is not advisable to eat too many cherries, otherwise it will easily cause getting angry and damage the spleen and stomach. If you don’t like cherries, you can eat strawberries.

7. Spinach: Eating some red-leafed green spinach in spring is beneficial for detoxification and preventing spring dryness. It should be noted that spinach is rich in oxalic acid, which affects the absorption of calcium and iron. Therefore, whether you are stir-frying or mixing spinach, you must blanch the spinach in boiling water.

8. Onion, ginger and garlic: They have the effect of increasing appetite, helping spring yang, and also have the effect of killing bacteria and preventing respiratory diseases.