Minor Heat, or Xiaoshu(小暑) in Chinese is the eleventh of the twenty-four solar terms, the fifth solar term of summer, and falls on July 7 this year. Minor Heat signifies the hottest period is coming but the extreme hot point has yet to arrive.

In Minor Heat, the high temperatures are good for the growth of the lotus flower. From Minor Heat to the Double Ninth Festival, the lotus flower is in full bloom. Minor Heat is the season when fireflies become lively. Zhu Shuzhen, a poetess of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), once described in her famous poem Summer Fireflies a happy scene of children playing with fireflies in the woods at night.

In the ancient times, it was a folk custom to “eating new food” during the Minor Heat. In the past, the farmers would grind the newly cut paddy into rice and then make it for the gods and ancestors to pray for a good harvest in the coming year, and then everyone would eat new rice and taste new wine, which is the origin of “eating new food”.

Although in the day of Minor Heat is not yet the hottest time, the weather has begun to heat up. After the humidity of spring rains and the plum rains, people really cannot stand the damp at home. The ancients will take advantage of the hot sun on the day of Minor Heat to move out the clothes, paintings and calligraphy to exposure to the sunlight.

According to folklore, the custom of eating lotus root in the Minor Heat has been around for a long time. The fresh lotus roots in June and July are the most crisp and sweet, moist and refreshing, and are also good for the summer.

(By Yang Jiming/Qi Qian)