Do you know about Grain in Ear? It is one of the 24 Solar Terms. When the weather gets , the rain starts to fall and grain gets ripe, we know Grain in Ear is just around the corner. This year, it on June 5.
The arrival of Grain in Ear means time is coming. Wheat becomes ripe, and so do plums (梅子). the day of Grain in Ear, people will boil and eat green plums. It is said that this tradition started two famous people—Cao Cao and Liu Bei. There is a famous story. Cao and Liu the heroes of their time while boiling and eating green plums with warm wine.
When the plums are ripe, the plum rains come. After Grain in Ear, the in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will enter the plum rain season. The long period of and cloudy weather will last June and July.
The plum rain season is a good time for rice, vegetables and fruit, but it also means the falling of . During Grain in Ear, people have ceremonies to say to the Flower Goddess.
Today we seldom see this tradition in most parts of China. people can feel the excitement of the ceremony in the famous A Dream of Red Mansions by Cao Xueqin. The girls of the Jia family usually make flowers and willow branches into small toys. They also put silk on trees with threads.
With its busy harvests and natural beauty, Grain in Ear is really a great time of the year.