Start of Summer (立夏)

What the solar terms mean

Start of Summer is one of the twenty-four solar terms (節氣), the traditional calendar that divides the year into twenty-four seasons. It usually falls around 5 or 6 May. In old times, people took this day as the first day of summer. Crops in the fields grow strong from now on.

After Start of Summer, the days are long and the nights short. There is more sunshine, and farm work slowly becomes busy.

Traditional customs in different places

The day has many cheerful customs. In folk tradition, people are weighed on a large traditional scale, with a wish for a safe summer. Families boil chicken or duck eggs on the day; these are called Start of Summer eggs (立夏蛋). Children tuck an egg into a small net bag, hang it on the chest, and play a friendly egg-tapping game with friends. Seasonal food is enjoyed as well. In the Jiangnan region, people eat fresh broad beans, bamboo shoots and cherries, and some homes cook Start of Summer rice, a glutinous rice dish made with peas or broad beans. In southern China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, many families likewise cook with fresh seasonal ingredients to welcome the summer.