What
Rain is the second of the twenty-four solar terms in China, usually on February 18 or 19 every year. It marks the beginning of rainfall. But for the Chinese, "rain" is never just "rain" - it is "a dialogue between heaven and earth." Winter is silent and everything is dormant. When it rains, the sky begins to speak, using the language of rain.
Why
Why do Chinese people attach so much importance to rain?
- Agricultural reasons: During the rainy season, northern China is still covered in ice and snow, but spring plowing has begun in the south. "Spring rain is as precious as oil" - Spring rain is more precious than oil. Snow in winter is "water storage", and rain in spring is "water release". As soon as the rain season arrives, farmers know it’s time to prepare for sowing.
- Physical reasons: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that rainy season should "sooth the liver and strengthen the spleen". The liver qi collected in winter should "regenerate" in spring. The humidity in the rainy season begins to increase, making it easy to trap the spleen. Therefore, Chinese people eat "red date porridge" and "yam" during the rainy season - foods that strengthen the spleen and remove dampness.
- Cultural reasons: Chinese people have a special emotion towards rain. Rain is the "tears of the sky" and the "milk of the earth". Farmers hope for rain, poets write about rain, and painters paint rain. In Chinese culture, rain is never "bad weather", but "God's blessing for all things".
How
Three major customs of rain:
- Go back to natal home: On rainy day, the married daughter will return to her natal home. Bring a can of "can can meat" (pork trotters stewed in a casserole) to thank your parents for their upbringing. This custom is called "receiving longevity" - it means that the daughter returns to her parents' home to "receive longevity" to her parents. During the rainy season, my daughter goes home with Yu.
- Divining the color of rice: People in the South want to "divide the color of rice" on this rainy day - using popcorn to predict this year's rice harvest. Put glutinous rice in a pot and stir-fry. If the rice pops out are many and white, it is a sign of a good harvest. This sounds like "superstition", but it is actually the "farmer's hope" - giving yourself a good sign before sowing.
- Eat red dates and yam: During the rainy season, the humidity is heavy, so Chinese people eat red dates and yam porridge to "strengthen the spleen and remove dampness". Red dates nourish blood and yam strengthens the spleen - this is not "delicacy", but "body care". On rainy days, Chinese people use a bowl of porridge to "fight the humidity."
When
The best scene for rain: rice fields in the south. During the rainy season, the rice fields in the south begin to be irrigated. Water flows from the canals into the fields, and the soil is soaked with water, giving off a special fishy and sweet smell. The farmer stood on the ridge of the field, watching the water cover the soil little by little. This is the time of "waiting" - waiting for the seeds, waiting for germination, waiting for the harvest.
Where
At Giaokz.com in Florence, we cook red dates and yam porridge on rainy days. The Italian guests were curious about "yams": "What is this? Potatoes?" I said, "It's not potatoes, it's the 'tenderness of the earth'. It doesn't have a strong flavor like potatoes, but it warms your stomach, just like rain warms the earth."
One Word
Rùn
The core of "rain" is not "rain", but "moistening". Moisturizing means "gently penetrating", not "violently washing away". The characteristic of spring rain is "thin" - as thin as a needle and as light as mist. It doesn't "smash" like summer rainstorms, but "floats" down. This "gentle moistening" is exactly the Chinese definition of "good rain".
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> 💡 Remember the rain in one sentence: Rain is the moment when "heaven and earth begin to speak" - using the language of drizzle to tell all things: It's time to wake up.