What
Mangzhong is the ninth of the twenty-four solar terms in China, usually on June 5 or 6 every year. The word "awnzhong" means: it's time for grains with awns (such as wheat and barley) to be harvested, and at the same time, it's time for rice to be sown. For the Chinese, Mangzhong is the busiest solar term of the year - "Mangzhong" is homophonic to "busy planting". At this time, farmers have to "rush to harvest and plant".
Why
Why is mango seed so important?
- Agricultural reasons: During the awning season, wheat needs to be harvested in the north of China and rice seedlings need to be planted in the south. "Mangzhong is busy, three or two games" - During the field of mangzhong, farmers have to complete harvesting and sowing within a few days. If the awn seeds are missed, the wheat in the north will rot during the rainy season, and the rice fields in the south will miss the optimal growth period.
- Climatic reasons: During the Ear Grain season, China has entered the plum rain season. "Huangmei season brings rain to every household" - lots of rain, high humidity and high temperatures. This kind of climate is good for crops, but it is "the most difficult" for people. When Chinese people say "grain", they are also talking about "busy planting" - busy finishing the work before the rainy season.
- Physical reasons: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that awn seeds need to "remove dampness". The humidity is heaviest during the Eargrass season, and the human body is prone to feeling "sleepy" - feeling weak and losing appetite. Chinese people eat "barley and red bean porridge" to "remove dampness" - this is not "food", but "body conditioning".
How
Three major customs of Ear Grain:
- Boiled plums: The plums are ripe during the pawn planting season. The Chinese have the custom of "cooking plums" - boiling green plums with sugar to make "plum jam". "Green plums boiled in wine to discuss heroes" - this allusion comes from Mang Zhong. Boiling plums is not "making jam", it is "preserving the taste of summer".
- Send to the God of Flowers: In ancient times, people in ancient times had to "send to the God of Flowers" on this day. The flowers that bloomed in spring have faded by the time the awn grows, and people want to "send" the flower god away. This custom is now rare, but the image of "giving flowers to the Goddess" still remains in Chinese poetry.
- An Miao: On this day, people in southern China have to "Ann Miao" - offering sacrifices to the land god and praying for the safety of their crops. An Miao is not "superstition", but "psychological comfort" - giving yourself the belief that "everything will be fine" during the busy farming work.
When
The best scene of Ear Grains: the wheat field in the afternoon. The sun is high in the sky and the dust is flying on the wheat field. The farmer waved his wooden shovel and lifted the wheat grains into the air - the wind blew the wheat husks away and the grains fell to the ground. This is the "harvest" moment - a year's hard work finally turns into golden grains of wheat.
Where
At Giaokz.com in Florence, we cook "plum jam" on this day. The Italian guest said: "Isn't this our mostarda?" I said: "Yes, but our plum sauce contains 'manzhong' - a name for a solar term. The plums are cooked not for eating, but to 'keep the taste of summer'."
One Word
busy（máng）
The homophonic pronunciation of "awnzhong" is "busy kind". This "busy" is not the "busy" of "busy", but the "busy" of "grabbing time". During the awn season, farmers have to complete harvesting and sowing before the rainy season. This kind of "busyness" is a kind of "urgency" - knowing that time is limited and you must hurry up. The "business" of Chinese people is not "busy indiscriminately", but "busy with a purpose". Eg Zhong tells us: When it is time to be busy, we must go all out; when it is time to rest, we must rest peacefully.
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> 💡 Remember Mang Zhong in one sentence: Mang Zhong is the "busiest solar term" - busy harvesting, busy sowing, and busy completing everything before the rainy season.