Customs in Minor Heat and Major Heat

Introduction to Minor Heat

Minor Heat, Xiaoshu in Chinese, is the 11th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 105° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 120°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 105°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around July 7 and ends around July 22 (July 23 East Asia time). The ancient people thought that it was not the hottest time during the Minor Heat period and then named it the Minor Heat. There is also a song with the lyrics “the Minor Heat is not hot but the Major Heat.” which means that the hottest period is coming but the extremely hot point has not arrived yet.

Customs in Minor Heat

1. Old traditions in Minor Heat in the past, having fresh grains was one of the main traditions among the folks in China. The pronunciation of having fresh grains in Chinese resembles the sound of surviving hardship, which means the first day of going through hardship. A saying in Chinese involves different kinds of food: dumplings, noodles, the Chinese tortilla and scrambled eggs. Dumplings are the traditional and household food among Chinese. When the dog day comes, people tend to lose their appetites, and dumplings can refresh people’s feeling toward food. People in Shandong Province enjoy having cucumbers and boiled eggs to live through it.

Folks in Xuzhou City like to eat mutton when the days come. This custom can be dated back to Yao and Shun Dynasty. It is said that one bowl of mutton soup will keep the doctors away. Lotus roots are all the rage among the folks. There are plenty of carbohydrates, vitamins, and dietary fibers in lotus roots. You will gain great benefits from having lotus roots with honey. There is a Chinese saying which goes that the finless eel on the day of Minor Heat is as good as ginseng. Eels are habituated to live in the mud and the eels are quite nutritious and delicious on the day of Minor Heat and they can function as the pills to cure some diseases.

2. In Taiwan Province: a season of fish and eating mangoes The time of Minor Heat comes when all kinds of melons are being harvested. The water temperature near the coast of Taiwan is mild which attracts huge numbers of fish. The north part of Keelung is quite famous for its production of Seriola dumerili and Dicrossus maculates. What eating mango on the day of Minor Heat actually refers to is the mango harvest time. Baihe town in Tainan County is famous for lotus seeds and nuts. Every year, the festival of lotus is held there.

3. In Nanjing Province: enjoying melons together with family members In spite of hard live hood, many Nanjingers used to buy home some fresh vegetables on the day of Minor Heat to share with their family members. One custom that has been running in the southern part of Nanjing goes like enjoying small melons on the day of Minor Heat and having big melons on the day of Major Heat. Small and big melons refer to cantaloupes and watermelons respectively.

On the day of Minor Heat, every family would buy some cantaloupes which will be cut into pieces and placed on the plate. Adults and children would be served at this time and enjoy themselves after the dinner. Until today, the scene of happy summer day still remains in people’s minds.

4. In Guangdong Province: eating white gourd When the Minor Heat, one of the 24 Chinese solar terms comes, the temperature would rise to its highest point of the year. During this period, it seems that the Cantonese could not live without melons, such as white gourd, towel gourd and cucumbers. White gourd has a great variety, Taishan’s white gourd with black peel, Holland’s mini white gourd and Duyuan’s white gourd.

It is just the right time to eat white gourd in summer. With numerous ingredients to choose from, it is splendid to have white gourd soups in this season. From Holland’s mini gourd bowl to the soup in huge white gourd, everyone could find the one that suits you best.

Introduction to Major Heat

Major Heat is the 12th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 120° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 135°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 120°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around July 22 (July 23 East Asia time) and ends around August 7. Similar to Minor Heat, Major Heat is also a solar term that reflects the heat of summer. Major Heat means extreme heat. During Major Heat, most parts of China enter the hottest season of the year.

Customs in Major Heat

1. It’s time to nourish the human body It is a folk tradition to nourish the human body in the periods of “Sanfu” (the three periods of the hot season) and “Sanjiu” (the first 27 days of winter). The main nutrient components of poultry meat are high quality protein, fat, microorganisms and mineral substances. Fowl such as chicken, duck and pigeon are good choices for nourishing the human body during the Major Heat period. A folk way of nourishing is to eat spring chicken during Major Heat. Spring chicken refers to the chicken that has just matured and doesn’t mate yet, or the chicken that weighs half a kilo or two thirds of a kilo after being raised for three months and doesn’t mate yet. The spring chicken contains certain growth hormone which is good for children who are still growing and developing, and old people whose hormone levels have decreased.

2. In Putian City: eating litchi, mutton and Mizao There is a custom in Putian City, Fujian Province of eating litchi, mutton and Mizao in the Major Heat period. They call this the celebration of the Major Heat. Litchi is a kind of nutritious fruit containing glucose and various vitamins. People usually soak litchis in cold well water first and eat them on the first day of Major Heat. It is said that litchis in Major Heat are as nourishing as ginseng. Warm mutton soup is a distinguished dish of Putian. First, the people kill a sheep and remove its fur and internal organs. Then they put the whole sheep into boiling water in a big pot. After a while, they pull the sheep out and put it into a vat. Then they pour the water in the pot into the vat and soak the sheep for a while before it’s put on the market. Cut the mutton into pieces and eat. It tastes fresh and good!

Mizao---make rice fermented and pickled. On the first day of the Major Heat, cut the pickled rice into pieces and cook them with brown sugar. It can reinforce the vital energy of the human body. Putian people usually give mutton and litchis to relatives and friends as gifts.

3. In Taiwan Province: eating pineapples and celebrate the “Half-a-Year Festival” In the Major Heat period, there are many warm-water fishes in the sea area around Taiwan. And there is also a saying in Taiwan which goes, “eating pineapples in Major Heat.” During the period of Major Heat, the pineapple tastes its best. Another custom in Taiwan around Major Heat is the “Half-a-Year Festival.” The festival falls on the 15th of June of the lunar calendar, because this day marks the passing of half a year. On that day, the whole family will eat a kind of cake called “Bannianyuan,” which refers to family reunion together. The cake is made of glutinous rice flour and Hongmian flour, and symbolizes reunion and happiness.

 4. In Shandong Province: drinking mutton soup There is a custom in the southern part of Shandong Province that people drink mutton soup on the first day of Major Heat. Many people go to local restaurants to drink mutton soup. They call the mutton “summer mutton.”

5. In Guangdong Province: eating Herb Jelly Divine grass (Xiancao, in Chinese), also known as jelly grass, is a kind of herb belonging to Lamiaceae. It is an important plant resource that can be used as both medicine and food. It is called “Divine grass” due to its amazing effect of dispelling summer heat. Stems and leaves of the grass can be made into herb jelly after being dried in the sun. In Guangdong Province, this jelly is also called “cold jelly,” which is not only a sweet dessert for dispelling heat, but also can be used as medicine.

There is a popular saying in Guangdong Province which goes, “eating herb jelly in Major Heat will make you stay young like the immortals.” The herb jelly looks and tastes like Guiling Jelly (made of tortoise plastron and guaems). Herb Jelly is also a famous snack in Taiwan and it can be eaten both warm and cold.