The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Major Heat, the 12th solar term of the year, begins this year on July 23 and ends August 6.
During Major Heat, most parts of China enter the hottest season of the year.
In China, the 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural production. But solar term culture is still useful today to guide people's lives through special foods, cultural ceremonies and even healthy living tips that correspond with each term.
Eating grass jelly
Grass jelly, Xiancaodong in Chinese, is made with a special grass whose stems and leaves can be made into herb jelly after being dried in the sun.
With the amazing ability to quell the summer heat, grass jelly is described in a popular saying in Guangdong province that goes, "eating herb jelly in Major Heat will make you stay young like the immortals."
The herb jelly looks and tastes like another jelly-like Guilinggao, or called Turtle Jelly, but without the bitter taste!
Cricket fighting
Major Heat is a season with the largest number of crickets that can be found in the fields along the countryside. Cricket fighting is a popular pastime for some people in China during this period. The custom dates back more than 1,000 years to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
Eating litchi
On the day of Major Heat, there is a custom of eating litchi as a celebration of Major Heat.
Litchi is a nutritious fruit containing glucose and vitamins. People usually soak litchi in cold well water first and eat it. It is said that litchi during Major Heat is as nourishing as ginseng.
Eating pineapples
During the period of Major Heat, pineapple tastes best.
A season of harvesting and planting
During Major Heat, the sunshine, high temperatures, and heavy rainfall are good for agricultural crops. But like Minor Heat, many natural calamities such as floods, droughts and typhoons also happen during Major Heat. Therefore, it's important to harvest and plant in time to avoid setbacks caused by natural disasters.
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