“The beginning of summer” or “Lixia” is the 7th of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar and marks the first solar term of summer, usually falling between May 5th and 7th in the Gregorian calendar, when the sun reaches 45 degrees celestial longitude. Lixia signifies the end of spring and the beginning of summer, hence it’s also known as “End of Spring Day”.

It’s an important period when everything enters a vigorous growth phase. In ancient times, during the Zhou Dynasty, there were elaborate rituals for Lixia. The emperor and officials would wear red ceremonial attire and accessories and conduct a grand “Welcoming Summer” ceremony in the outskirts, symbolizing reverence to the god of summer (as red represents summer) and praying for a bountiful harvest.

The beginning of summer Delicacies

Lixia heralds a season of abundance, particularly celebrated in the Jiangnan region with the tradition of “tasting the three news.” These “three news” typically refer to fresh and tender produce of the season, which can vary by region. For example, “Land Three News” may include fava beans/peas, amaranth, and new bamboo shoots; “Tree Three News” could consist of cherries, loquats, and green plums; while “Water Three News” might feature shad, pufferfish, and sea snails. Folklore dictates that during Lixia, one must indulge in twelve essential foods, as expressed in the rhyme: “Summer cakes, river fish, and black rice cakes; green plum, fava beans, and cherries; preserved meat, roasted goose, salted duck eggs; oyster, amaranth, and fermented rice.”

In regions like Jiangsu, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Anhui, people still uphold the ancient custom of eating Black rice cake during Lixia. Black rice cake is not made from black rice but rather from glutinous rice cooked with leaves from the wild Chinese sumac tree. The white rice grains are dyed grey, and after steaming, they turn into black cakes with a fragrant aroma.

Danish

Sommerens begyndelse, eller “Lixia”, er den 7. af de 24 solperiode i den kinesiske månekalender og markerer sommerens første solperiode. Den falder normalt mellem den 5. og 7. maj i den gregorianske kalender, når solen når 45 grader himmellængde. Lixia markerer afslutningen på foråret og begyndelsen på sommeren, derfor kaldes den også “Forårets afslutningsdag”.

Det er en vigtig periode, hvor alt går ind i en livlig vækstfase. I oldtiden, under Zhou-dynastiet, var der detaljerede ritualer for Lixia. Kejseren og embedsmændene ville bære rødt ceremonielt tøj og tilbehør og udføre en stor “Velkomst af sommeren” ceremoni i udkanten, symboliserende ærefrygt for sommerens gud (da rødt repræsenterer sommeren) og bøn om en rig høst.

Sommerens begyndelse Delikatesser

Lixia markerer en sæson med overflod, der især fejres i Jiangnan-regionen med traditionen “at smage de tre nyheder.” Disse “tre nyheder” refererer typisk til friske og ømme produkter fra sæsonen, der kan variere efter region. For eksempel kan “Land Tre Nyheder” omfatte fava bønner/ærter, amarant og nye bambusskud; “Træ Tre Nyheder” kunne bestå af kirsebær, loquats og grønne blommer; mens “Vand Tre Nyheder” måske inkluderer laks, kuglefisk og søsnegle. Folketro dikterer, at man under Lixia skal forkæle sig selv med tolv essentielle fødevarer, som udtrykt i rimet: “Sommerkager, flodfisk, og sort ris kager; grønne blommer, fava bønner, og kirsebær; konserveret kød, stegt gås, saltede ænder; østers, amarant og fermenteret ris.”

I regioner som Jiangsu, Hubei, Jiangxi og Anhui, holder folk stadig fast i den gamle skik med at spise sort ris kage under Lixia. Sort ris kage er ikke lavet af sort ris, men derimod af klæbende ris kogt med blade fra det vilde kinesiske sumaktræ. De hvide ris korn farves grå, og efter dampning bliver de til sorte kager med en duftende aroma.

Sources:

https://daily.zhihu.com/story/8254808

https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_17948917

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2022-05/03/content_25915873.htm