What
The Beginning of Autumn is the thirteenth of the twenty-four solar terms in China, usually on August 7 or 8 every year. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. But for the Chinese, the Beginning of Autumn is never just about "getting cooler" - it's "the beginning of the harvest."
Why
Why is the beginning of autumn so important?
- Agricultural reasons: At the beginning of autumn, soybeans and sorghum in the north begin to mature, and rice in the south begins to fill. "Three rains in the Beginning of Autumn turn the rice into rice." - If it rains in the Beginning of Autumn, the crops will be harvested. The beginning of autumn is the "most nervous" time for farmers - a year's hard work is about to be revealed.
- Physical reasons: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the beginning of autumn should "nourish the lungs". Autumn corresponds to the lungs, and the lungs are most afraid of "dryness". At the beginning of autumn, the air begins to become dry, and people's skin and respiratory tract are easily damaged. Chinese people eat "pears", "lilies" and "tremella" to "moisten their lungs" - these foods are like "natural moisturizers", moisturizing the body from within.
- Cultural reasons: The Beginning of Autumn is the day when Chinese people "put on autumn fat". Summer is hot, people's appetite decreases and they lose weight. As soon as Beginning of Autumn arrives, the weather gets cooler and appetite returns. Chinese people began to "replenish" their body weight by eating stewed meat, hot pot, and various high-calorie foods to "replenish" the weight they "lost" in the summer.
How
Three major customs of the Beginning of Autumn:
- Post Autumn Fat: "As the Beginning of Autumn arrives, post Autumn Fat." On the day of Beginning of Autumn, Chinese people eat big fish and meat—braised pork, braised pork ribs, and roast duck. "Posting autumn fat" is not "gaining weight", but "replenishing physical strength". Too much energy has been consumed in the summer, and we need to replenish it in the autumn.
- Eating watermelon: "Eating watermelon at the beginning of autumn is called 'biting autumn'". Eating watermelon on the day of the Beginning of Autumn is to "bite the autumn" - to prevent the heat of summer from continuing. But after the beginning of autumn, Chinese people don't eat watermelon - because "autumn melon is bad for the stomach", and autumn watermelon is bad for the stomach.
- Autumn sunbathing: There is a custom of "autumn sunbathing" in the mountainous areas of southern China. At the beginning of autumn, farmers dry their harvested peppers, corns, pumpkins and other crops on their roofs or windowsills. Colorful crops cover the entire village, like a huge oil painting. The autumn sun is not "drying", but "showing the harvest".
When
The best scene at the beginning of autumn: the sun drying field at dusk. As the sun sets, farmers spread out the day's harvest on the drying field. Golden corn, red peppers, orange pumpkins - all the colors intertwined. The air is filled with the aroma of food. This is the "reap" moment - a year's hard work finally pays off.
Where
At Giaokz.com in Florence, we will prepare the "Autumn Fat Set" on the day of the Beginning of Autumn - braised pork, braised pork ribs, and white fungus and lotus seed soup. The Italian guest said: "Isn't this our pranzo della domenica?" I said: "Yes, but our 'autumn fat' has a deeper meaning - you lose weight in the summer and make up for it in the autumn. This is the Chinese way of managing the 'body'."
One Word
Receive (shōu)
The core of "Liqiu" is "harvest". But this "receipt" is not an "end", but a "beginning". Autumn is the harvest season, but after the harvest there is still storage and preparation for winter. The Chinese "collection" is a kind of "wisdom" - knowing when to "release" and when to "collect". Beginning of Autumn tells us: Summer is over, it’s time to take back the energy and prepare for winter.
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> 💡 Remember the Beginning of Autumn in one sentence: The Beginning of Autumn is the "beginning of harvest" - what is sown in the summer will begin to be harvested in the autumn.