Characteristics of weather changes in the Beginning of Autumn
The characteristics of the weather changes at the beginning of autumn are as follows:
1. Sun position: At the beginning of autumn, the sun passes through 135° of ecliptic longitude. At this time, the position where the sun shines directly on the earth is exactly between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator. A certain point in time marks the beginning of summer dusk.
2. Temperature changes: At the beginning of autumn, the temperature gradually drops. Especially in northern areas, the heat during the day decreases and the coolness increases in the morning and night. This marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.
3. Climate characteristics: After the Beginning of Autumn, the weather gradually turns cooler, the hot summer weather weakens, and some cool autumn winds appear. But in the south, there may still be high temperatures after the beginning of autumn.
4. Plant growth: At the beginning of autumn, some summer favorite plants begin to wither, while some autumn plants begin to grow vigorously, such as chrysanthemums, barley, etc. The beginning of autumn is the beginning of the harvest season for crops.
Customs of the Beginning of Autumn:
1. Sacrifice to the God of the Land: Autumn is the harvest season, and there is a folk custom of worshiping the God of the Land to celebrate the harvest.
2. Eating autumn melons: In the south, there is a custom of "eating autumn melons at the beginning of autumn". Eat more watermelons on this day of autumn to prevent autumn dryness, which has become a custom over time. "Capital Chronicles" published during the Republic of China records: "On the day before the beginning of autumn, eating watermelon is called eating autumn." It also means to welcome the arrival of autumn.
3. Posting autumn fat: It is popular among the people to weigh people on a hanging scale on the day of Beginning of Autumn, and compare their weight with that of Beginning of Summer to test whether they are fat or thin. Weight loss is called "Bitter Summer". At that time, people often only judged health based on fatness and thinness. Of course, you need to "make up" if you lose weight, and the way to make up for it is to "put on autumn fat."
4. Sunbathing in autumn: Sunbathing in autumn is a typical agricultural custom with strong regional characteristics. Villagers living in mountainous areas such as Hunan, Guangxi, Anhui, and Jiangxi, due to the complex terrain and very little flat land in the village, have to use the front and back of the house and the roof of their own window sill to dry or hang their crops. Over time, it has evolved into a traditional agricultural custom. .