Grain Rain （GuYu）, the sixth solar term in spring, marks the end of the season. At this time, the sun’s celestial longitude is 30 degrees, and its name comes from the idea of “rain nurturing all grains,” indicating the transition from spring to summer. The main feature of Grain Rain is continuous spring showers, with rising temperatures, increased rainfall, and higher humidity, making it the best time for planting and crop growth.
Grain Rain is also the season for picking fresh tea leaves, known as spring tea, which is considered the best in taste, with a delicate fragrance and refreshing flavor that can clear body and improve eyesight.
Additionally, Grain Rain is an ideal time for admiring peony flowers, with the tradition of “viewing peonies three times during Grain Rain” dating back thousands of years. Today, places like Shandong’s Heze and Henan’s Luoyang hold peony flower festivals during Grain Rain for people to enjoy. In the coastal areas of northern China, Grain Rain is considered a good time for fishing, with fishermen holding sea ceremonies to pray for a safe and bountiful catch.
Grain Rain delicacy:
As early as the Han Dynasty, the Chinese had the habit of consuming Chinese toon. Chinese toon was once regarded as one of the tribute products, highly favoured by emperors and court nobles. Even today, in some northern regions, there is still the custom of eating Chinese toon during the Grain Rain season. Chinese toon is a highly seasonal vegetable, and after the Grain Rain season, its dietary fibre ages, and its nutritional value diminishes significantly. Therefore, those who appreciate Chinese toon often consume it before the Grain Rain season. Around the time of Grain Rain, the tender shoots of Chinese toon emerge, rich in nutrients. People use them for stir-frying or mixing dishes, known as “eating spring.” Among them, the most classic Chinese toon dish is undoubtedly “stir-fried eggs with Chinese toon,” where the tender yellow eggs complement the fragrant Chinese toon, resulting in a delicious and tender taste.
Festivals Associated with Grain Rain:
Since the Han Dynasty, there has been a folk tradition of worshipping Cangjie, the mythical figure attributed to the invention of Chinese characters, during the Grain Rain season in Baishui County, Shaanxi Province. Recognizing Cangjie as the ancestor of Chinese writing, the United Nations designated April 20th, during the Grain Rain season, as International Chinese Language Day to commemorate his contribution to the creation of Chinese characters.
Danish
Grain Rain, den sjette solperiode om foråret, markerer slutningen af sæsonen. På dette tidspunkt er solens himmelske længdegrad 30 grader, og dens navn stammer fra ideen om “regn, der nærer alle korn”, hvilket indikerer overgangen fra forår til sommer. Den vigtigste funktion ved Grain Rain er kontinuerlige forårsregn, med stigende temperaturer, øget nedbør og højere luftfugtighed, hvilket gør det til det bedste tidspunkt for plantning og vækst af afgrøder.
Grain Rain er også sæsonen for at plukke friske teblade, kendt som forårste, der betragtes som det bedste i smag, med en delikat duft og forfriskende smag, der kan rense kroppen og forbedre synet. Derudover er Grain Rain en ideel tid til at beundre pæonblomster, med traditionen om “at se på pæoner tre gange under Grain Rain”, der går tusinder af år tilbage. I dag afholder steder som Heze i Shandong og Luoyang i Henan pæonblomster festivaler under Grain Rain, så folk kan nyde dem. I de kystnære områder i det nordlige Kina betragtes Grain Rain som en god tid til fiskeri, hvor fiskere holder havceremonier for at bede om en sikker og rigelig fangst.
Grain Rain-delikatesse:
Allerede i Han-dynastiet havde kineserne en vane med at spise kinesisk toon. Kinesisk toon blev engang betragtet som en af de hyldeprodukter fra både nord og syd, meget værdsat af kejsere og hoffets adelige. Selv i dag er der i nogle nordlige regioner stadig skik med at spise kinesisk toon under Kornsprøjt-sæsonen. Kinesisk toon er en meget sæsonbestemt grøntsag, og efter Kornsprøjt-sæsonen ældes dens kostfiber, og dens ernæringsmæssige værdi falder markant. Derfor spiser dem, der værdsætter kinesisk toon, det ofte før Kornsprøjt-sæsonen. Omkring Kornsprøjt-tiden skyder de sarte skud af kinesisk toon frem, rige på næringsstoffer. Folk bruger dem til at rørestege eller blande retter, kendt som “at spise foråret.” Blandt dem er den mest klassiske kinesiske toon-ret uden tvivl “røræg med kinesisk toon”, hvor de sarte gule æg supplerer den duftende kinesiske toon, hvilket resulterer i en lækker og mørt smag.
Festivaler forbundet med kornregn:
Siden Han-dynastiet har der været en folketradition med at tilbede Cangjie, den mytiske skikkelse tilskrevet opfindelsen af kinesiske tegn, under kornregnssæsonen i Baishui County, Shaanxi Province. Ved at anerkende Cangjie som stamfader til kinesisk skrift, har De Forenede Nationer udnævnt den 20. april, under kornregnssæsonen, som International Kinesisk Sprog Dag for at mindes hans bidrag til oprettelsen af kinesiske tegn.
Picture Sources:
https://www.sohu.com/a/455689917_121033808
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/20767606?from_voters_page=true
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%B0%B7%E9%9B%A8/6959
http://sd.cma.gov.cn/gslb/hzsqxj/xwzx/tpxw/202204/t20220413_4753890.html
http://www.chinakongzi.org/zt/3907/gyms/201904/t20190417_193076.htm
