Thedayof“RainWater”(雨水)fallsonFebruary18thisyear.Asitsnamesuggests,afterthedayofRainWater,Februaryshowersbringrelieftotheparchedland.InmostplacesacrossChina,chillinessgraduallydisperses,snowisrarelyseenanditstartstorain,creatingfavorableconditionsforoverwinteringcropstoawaken.Farmersseizethisauspiciousmomenttopreparethegroundforploughingandtheapplicationoffertilizers.
Ifthe“BeginningofSpring”isthepreludetospringtimewhenthere’sstillaslightwinterychillintheair,then“RainWater”isinspringitself.Duringthissolarterm,springmakesgreatstridestowardsuswithrisingtemperatures,thawingrivers,theawakeningofhibernatinganimalsandthereturnofmigratorybirds.
Atthistime,theaveragetemperatureinthemiddleandlowerreachesoftheYellowRiverbasin–thecradleofChinesecivilization–isusuallyabovezero.Ancientpeoplenamedthissolartermafterthefirstspringrainbecausewheatseedlingsdemandalotofwater.ItisacommonsayinginChinathatrainwaterinspringtimeisaspreciousascookingoil.
InsomeplacesinChina,marrieddaughtersneedtopayavisittotheirparentson“RainWater”dayandgivethemgiftsofredsilkandstewedporridge.
TheLanternFestival,roughlytwoweeksaftertheSpringFestival,alwayscomesslightlybeforeorafterRainWaterday.Peoplecelebratethisfestivalbywatchingthefullmoon,guessingtheanswerstoriddleswrittenonlanternsandeatingtangyuan(glutinousricedumplings)withtheirfamilies.Afterthisfestival,theChineseNewYearperiodcomestoanend,withthebeginningofabrandnewyearandanewschoolsemester.
Alsoworthnotingisthatafterthe“RainWater”day,pocketsofcoldaircontinuetomoveovernorthernChina,makingtheweatherverychangeable.TraditionalChinesemedicineadvisespeopletomakesuretheystaywarminspring,despiterisingtemperatures.Theyshouldkeepwearingtheirwarmwinterclothesinearlyspring,becauseunpredictableweathercaneasilyaffectthebodyandevencauseemotionalinstabilityandpoormentalhealth.However,manyyoungpeopledisregardthisadvice,especiallygirlswhocannotwaittowearsummerskirtsanddressesagain,leavingittotheelderlytokeeptothetraditionofswaddlingthemselvesinwarmclothes.
(CompiledbyChinaTodaybasedonTheTwenty-FourSolarTermsPublishedbyDolphinBooks)