The origin and customs of the Rain Water solar term

The Rain Water solar term is approaching again. "Collected Explanations of the 72 Solar Terms in the Lunar Calendar" says: "In the middle of the first month, heaven produces water. The beginning of spring belongs to wood, but what produces wood must be water, so the Rain Water follows the Beginning of Spring . And when the east wind thaws the ice, it dissipates and turns into rain." In the spring rain that "moistens everything silently," the grass and trees begin to sprout as the yang energy in the earth rises, and the earth gradually presents a thriving scene. Only with rain can the first season of the year begin. The sky and the earth are cleansed and moistened, the climate gradually becomes warmer, and people's spirits are flourishing along with all things after being restrained for a winter.

An agricultural proverb says: "If there is rain, the crops will grow well; the early spring and early spring are a treasure." Rainwater is the critical period for early spring management and early spring preparation for farming. After the Rain Water solar term, wheat gradually turns green from south to north. In the Ming Dynasty, Xie Jin wrote in his poem "Spring Rain": "Spring rain is as precious as oil, and it flows all over the streets. Scholar Xie slipped and fell, and a group of cows laughed to death." During the fifteen days of the Rain Water solar term, we go from the sixth day of "Seven Nine" to the second day of "Nine Nine". "On Seven Nine, the rivers open, on Eight Nine, the swallows come, and on Nine Nine plus One Nine, oxen are walking everywhere". This means that except for the northwest, northeast and southwest plateau areas which are still in the cold winter, other vast areas are undergoing or have completed the transition from winter to spring. Under the urging of the spring breeze and rain, they present a busy scene of spring ploughing.

However, during the rainy season, cold air activities in the north are still frequent and the weather is changeable. The ancients had long ago proposed the health-preserving principle of "covering up in spring" in terms of clothing. In early spring, yang energy gradually grows, the climate becomes warmer, people gradually take off their cotton clothes and wear thin clothes, especially young girls who love beauty can't wait to take off their bulky down jackets. However, the coldness has not yet disappeared and the temperature fluctuates greatly. After a winter, the human body's resistance to wind and cold is weakened, making it easy to be affected by evil and get sick, so it has to be covered up.

Different people and different regions will pay different attention to different solar terms. People in western Sichuan are particularly concerned about rain. The romantic people of Shu turned the Rain Water Festival into an imaginative and humane solar term. Whether it rains or not, this day is full of poetic and picturesque atmosphere of misty rain: just after dawn in the morning, there are some young women holding their young children on the foggy road, waiting for the first pedestrian to pass by. Whenever someone passes by, no matter whether it is a man or a woman, old or young, they will stop the other person, press the child to the ground, kowtow and pray, and become the other person's godson or goddaughter. This is called "Zhuang Baiji". There is no predetermined target in advance, and you will bump into anyone. The purpose of "Zhuangbaiji" is to allow children to grow up smoothly and healthily. Similar to "Zhuangbaiji" is "La Baobao" (Baobao is godfather). The Rain Water Festival is called "La Gandie", which means "rain and dew nourish and facilitate growth".

The people in western Sichuan have specific places to find godfathers on this day. The parents who want the godfather should carry baskets filled with wine, food, incense, candles and paper money, and take their children through the crowd to find the right godfather. If you want your child to grow up to be knowledgeable, you can find a scholar to be his godfather. If your child is weak, you can find a tall and strong man to be his godfather. Once someone is asked to be a "godfather", most people will agree readily, believing that this is a sign of trust from others and that their own fate will improve. After the child is pulled, the puller shouts repeatedly: "Let's become godfathers," and sets out the snacks he brought, burns incense and lights candles, and asks the child to "kowtow to godfather" and "invite godfather to drink and eat." The puller can then "ask the in-laws to give the baby a name", and the pull is considered a success. Those who keep in touch with each other for many years after a breakup are called "long-term relatives", and those who have no contact with each other after a breakup are called "passing relatives".

Returning to one's mother's house during the Rain Water Festival is another custom popular in western Sichuan. During the Rain Water Festival, married daughters bring gifts back to their parents' home to visit them. Women who have given birth to children must bring gifts such as canned meat and chairs to thank their parents for raising them. If the gift is from a newly married son-in-law, his father-in-law and his mother-in-law will give him an umbrella in return, to protect him from the wind and rain when he goes out, and also to wish him a smooth and safe journey in life. For women who have not been able to get pregnant for a long time, their mothers will sew a pair of red pants for them to wear close to their bodies, so that they can get pregnant and have children as soon as possible.

Spring rain is the thing that can best stir the emotions of poets, and countless masterpieces throughout the ages have been inspired by spring rain. Du Fu has a poem "Happy Rain on a Spring Night" : "Good rain knows the season, it happens in spring." Monk Zhinan has a quatrain : "The rain from the apricot blossoms is about to wet my clothes, and the wind from the willows blows on my face without making me feel cold." Han Yu wrote "Presented to Mr. Zhang, Eighteenth Official in the Ministry of Water Resources in Early Spring" : "The rain in the street is as soft as butter, but the grass is not there when you look close." The rain during the Rain Water season is light, fine and dense. In this season that moistens everything silently, people should also start a good time of the year.