Summer Solstice, or Xiazhi(夏至) in Chinese is the tenth solar term in the 24 solar terms, falls on June 21 this year. It is also the first one to be identified as a solar term. It marks that hot weather is around the corner.

Xiazhi generally occurs on June 21 or 22 in the Gregorian calendar when the sun’s rays almost become perpendicular to the Tropic Cancer. In the northern hemisphere, Xiazhi marks the longest day and the shortest night of a year. Many parts of China will see rising temperatures and strong sunshine. Thunder showers are frequent especially in the afternoon or around dusk. The Jianghuai Region is particularly marked by moist atmosphere and rainy days. Xiazhi is the time when plums get ripe so the rainy days after Xiazhi are called “Plum Rain Season”.

Ancient Chinese had the custom of worshipping earth on the day of Xiazhi. In many parts of China, commemorating ancestors on the day of Xiazhi is a tradition. Different from the Tombs Sweeping Day, Xiazhi usually marks the end of the peak season for agricultural activities. People make all kinds of foods out of the freshly harvested crops and sacrifice them to their ancestors showing their gratitude and hoping that their ancestors would taste those foods and assure them of another bumper harvest.

Xiazhi heralds that the summer season will be in its prime soon. Moist and hot though, summer days never force the people to give up their enthusiasm for life. All plants are in their prime around the peak of summer season. They are accumulating energies for ultimate harvests in the fall.

(By Yang Jiming/Qi Qian)