"Vernal Equinox" arrives around March 21 every year and on this day, the sun is vertically above a point on the equator. "Vernal Equinox" indicates two eanings. Firstly, on this day, the night and day are approximately equally long with 12 hourseach. Secondly, it's the mid-point for the spring season. After this day, the sun continues to move to the north hemisphere and the temperature continues to rise. Daily average temperature in most areas in China reaches 0 degree Celsius above. Some areas may even reach 10 degree Celsius. Many proverbs among the farmers describe this season as "rains with thunder and lightning" and "time to farm otherwise nothing to harvest for the rest of the year".
Traditional Customs
Some traditional customs around "Vernal Equinox" include:
- Balancing Eggs: People choose fresh eggs laid only a few days ago and gently placethem on the table. The one who can balance an egg on its point steal the glamour.
- Eating "Spring Vegetable": People cook "Spring Vegetable", i.e., amaranth, with fish ina soup.
- Sending "Spring Cow": People send paper-cut pictures showing spring cow ploughing in the field to each other.
Healthy Living Tips
Since "Vernal Equinox" equally divides day and night, people should pay more attentionon the balance of Yin Qi and Yang Qi in human's body. Traditional Chinese medical practice shows that to balance Yin and Yang, the human body requires both "supplying" and "releasing". For example, when eating food with cold nature such ascrab, fish and prawn, it's better to cook them with food with warm nature such as ginger, spring onion, wines and vinegar. During this period, people should also pay attention to symptoms such as menstrual disorder, allergic, high blood pressure and so on.