Today (April 20) enters the last solar term of spring – Grain Rain. Grain Rain contains the meaning of “rain produces hundreds of grains”. It is late spring. The weather is warm and the rain increases, which is beneficial to the growth of grains. Spring plowing and spring sowing have entered a critical period. Most of the proverbs in the Grain Rain solar term are related to agricultural production, “Green Rain is a prosperous flood, and a moment is worth a thousand gold”, “Green Rain has rain and cotton fertilizer”, “Before and after Grain Rain, plant melons and dot beans”. Why is there a rain worth a thousand gold during the Grain Rain season? Is this really the best time to plant melons and order beans?
Everything grows right now
Is Grain Rain the best time to plant melons and order beans?
Grain Rain links “guard” and “rain”, which means “rain produces hundreds of grains”, reflecting the agricultural climate significance of Grain Rain. The temperature in various places rises rapidly at this time all year round, and the spring territory reaches its peak year, and the rain will increase significantly. The busy farming season for spring plowing and sowing will come. Is this season really the best time to plant melons and order beans?
During the Grain Rain season, the weather is warm and the rain is abundant, which is a good time to grow fruits, vegetables, bean crops and crops. Through a inventory of meteorological big data from 1991 to 2020, it was found that during the Grain Rain, the temperature in various places rebounded, and the national average temperature was 13.8℃. At the same time, among the various spring solar terms, Grain Rain has the largest precipitation and precipitation increase (compared to the previous solar term). Starting from the Spring Festival, the precipitation in various parts of my country has gradually increased, and the average precipitation in the Grain Rain solar term reached the largest in spring, and the increase in the average precipitation in the Grain Rain solar term was far beyond that of other solar terms in spring.
Meteorological service experts also wrote in the “Twenty-Four Solar Chronicles”: “The recovery of Qingming Festival is more significant, and the rain in Grain Rain is more abundant, and it will live up to the name of rain growing in hundreds of grains.”
However, our country has a vast territory and the sowing time varies from place to place. The south is relatively early and the north is later. Take bean crops as an example. The sowing time in some southern regions is around Qingming Festival, and the Yellow River Basin is around Grain Rain, while in some places in Northeast China and Inner Mongolia may have to wait until the beginning of summer solar term. Perhaps, the significance of “planting melons and beans before and after the Grain Rain” is not only to indicate the sowing time of melons and bean crops, but also to indicate that the busy farming moment for spring plowing and sowing has arrived.
In ancient times, people would use the weather on Grain Rain to predict the amount of rainfall in summer and the quality of grain harvest. For example, “Green Rain is a prosperous flood, and a moment is worth a thousand gold” “Green Rain is raining before and after, which is better than a scholar who has passed the imperial examination”, which means that if it rains on the day of the Grain Rain, it is a good omen, and the rain at this moment can be worth a thousand gold at a moment; while “Green Rain has no rain, and the landlord is handed over” indicates that the Grain Rain will not rain, and the harvest will not be good this year.
During the Grain Rain season, seedlings in the fields are planted and crops are planted, and the most important thing is to nourish the rainwater. Proverbs such as “Qingming Festival is about to be clear, and Grain Rain must be wet” and “Green Rain has rain and cotton fertilizer” all express people’s desire for a bumper harvest.
Spring is coming
Grain Rain is good for tea and flowers to enjoy the fragrant toon
There are three types of Guyu: “One time, the duckweed begins to grow; the second time, the dove blows its feathers; the third time, the Daisheng descends to mulberry.” During the Grain Rain season, the rainfall increases, and duckweed begins to grow and grow rapidly; the cuckoo also begins to move, and the chirping seems to urge people not to delay the farming season; the Duosheng bird can be seen on the mulberry trees, reminding silkworm farmers to be busy.
“In March, the wind blows and rain washes the flowers in the city.” During the Grain Rain season, it is late spring, and my country’s spring territory has reached its peak. Most areas are lush with flowers and plants, and peonies are spitting out, full of vitality. However, the spring is about to end, the wind and rain are getting more and more, and the scenery of flying flowers and falling catkins is becoming more and more common. At this time, rainfall in the south increased significantly, and the South China region entered the rainy season, with frequent strong convective weather; in the northern region, the spring breeze is the most intense, and strong winds and dusty weather is prone to occur.
The arrival of Grain Rain marks the end of spring and summer is coming. At this time, people often drink Grain Rain tea, eat Chinese toon, appreciate peonies, etc., and use these traditional customs to feel the afterglow of spring. In the south, spring tea picked during the Grain Rain season is usually called “Green Rain Tea”. At this time, the tea leaves are green and tender and fragrant, making them a good product in the year. In the north, the season when Chinese toon is on the market before and after Grain Rain is the season. At this time, Chinese toon is mellow and refreshing, with high nutritional value. It is said that “Chinese toon is as tender as silk before the rain.”
During the Grain Rain season, the peony flowers, the king of flowers, ushered in their peak flowering period, so peony flowers are also known as the “Green Rain Flower”. Peony appreciation is an important entertainment activity for people during the Grain Rain season. This custom has lasted for thousands of years. To this day, peony meetings will still be held in Heze, Shandong, Luoyang, Henan, Pengzhou, Sichuan and other places during the Grain Rain season.
“The peony has broken calyx and cherries are ripe, but the flowers are not allowed to fly to reduce the spring.” The arrival of the Grain Rain solar term means that spring has reached the season of falling flowers. You might as well grab the tail of spring and arrange an outing and enjoying flowers, so as not to let down the spring.
[Editor in charge: Gao Linlin]
