Summer Solstice, 夏至 xià zhì
The summer solstice is the fourth solar term in summer and marks the day with the longest daylight hours in the northern hemisphere. In ancient times, the summer solstice held a prominent position among the four seasons of the year, thus the ancient people would celebrate the summer solstice festival.
According to legend, during the Zhou Dynasty, Ji Dan, also known as Duke Zhou, was ordered to build the ancient city of Luoyi. To determine the seasons and solar terms, he invented two devices that measured changes in the sun and shadows: the Guigue and Mubiao. The Guigue was a ruler placed horizontally, while the Mubiao was an upright marker. By using these tools, he designated the day with the shortest shadow as the "summer solstice".
Summer is an important time for crops to grow, when folks often hold activities to pray for a good harvest at this time. In the Zhou Dynasty, sacrifices to the gods were held on the summer solstice to eliminate epidemics and calamities. There is also a record of the summer solstice festival in the Historical Records. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial family continued the tradition of holding a memorial ceremony for the land on the summer solstice, and people also performed rituals to offer grounds or pray for rain.
During the hot summer weather, people often lose their appetite, so the ancients paid great attention to preventing heatstroke and were careful about their summertime diet. For example, people in Jiangsu like to eat pea cubes on the summer solstice, while in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, glutinous rice is a popular choice.
In Beijing, there is a saying "Dumplings on Winter Solstice and Noodles on Summer Solstice", which means that Beijingers love to eat noodles on the summer solstice. According to the old Beijing customs, every year, once the summer solstice arrives, people can eat lettuce and cold noodles. This is because the hot weather can cause a loss of appetite, so eating something cold can lower body heat and stimulate the appetite without compromising one's health.
