The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into "24 solar terms". The Spring Equinox (chun fen), as the fourth term of the year, starts on March 20 and ends on April 3 this year.

On the day, the sun is directly above the equator, resulting in the equal lengths of day and night worldwide. After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in gradually longer days in the Northern Hemisphere and longer nights in the Southern Hemisphere.

Here are some things you may not know about the Spring Equinox.

Swallows fly north

In ancient China, people divided the fifteen days of the Spring Equinox into three parts. As the old saying goes, swallows fly back to the North in the first part, thunder cracks the sky in the second part, and lightning occurs frequently in the third part.

Egg-standing games

Standing an egg upright is a popular game across the country during the Spring Equinox. It is a custom that dates back to 4,000 years ago and is a way to celebrate the coming of spring. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

Some believe that the Spring Equinox is the best time to practice this game because on this day the axis of the Earth is relatively balanced against the orbital plane of the Earth's rotation around the sun, which makes it easier to stand an egg upright.

Flying kites

Spring Equinox is a good time to fly kites. In ancient times, people wrote their health problems on a paper kite, praying for health. The string would then be cut and the kite would carry away misfortunes.

Later, flying kites developed into a popular spring pastime. On the Spring Equinox, people write a blessing on the kite, hoping that the gods would see it.

Eating seasonal spring vegetables

Eating spring vegetables during the Spring Equinox is a commonly practiced custom in many regions of China. "Spring vegetables" differ from place to place. The ancient teachings in the Chinese classic, Huangdi Neijing, emphasize that people eat seasonal foods to help preserve health and bring good luck.

Reward farm cattle

This practice is popular in the southern area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River region. With the arrival of the Spring Equinox, the onset of the farming season brings increased activity for both farmers and their cattle. Farmers will reward cattle with sticky rice balls to express their gratitude. Meanwhile, people will also make offerings to birds to thank them for signaling the start of farm work and hope to protect grains from being eaten later in the year.

Vocabulary:

春分

chūn fēn

Spring Equinox

赤道

chì dào

equator

风筝

fēng zhēng

kite

燕子

yàn zi

swallow

时令蔬菜

shí lìng shū cài

seasonal vegetables

春分意味着昼夜平分。在这一天，太阳直射赤道。

chūn fēn yì wèi zhe zhòu yè píng fēn. zài zhè yì tiān, tài yáng zhí shè chì dào.

The Spring Equinox is when day and night are of equal length due to the sun’s position directly over the equator.

燕子是春天的象征。

yàn zi shì chūn tiān de xiàng zhēng.

Swallows are symbols of spring.

春分是放风筝的好时机。

chūn fēn shì fàng fēng zhēng de hǎo shí jī.

The Spring Equinox is an ideal time for flying kites.