A new cycle springs forth

Crops flourish

Hardworking housewives also start work early in the morning. The chewy spring pancakes, delicious side dishes and the steam wafting from the kitchen attest to the exuberant festive mood.

It is believed that eating spring pancakes, and various vegetables contained within, will make the crops flourish and the animals thrive. Eating spring pancakes will make people work harder and live longer.

Some folks are particular about eating radish on lichun. In old Beijing, everyone wanted a "bite" of the spring on this day.

Early in the morning, street vendors would carry a trolley and yell in the alleys: "Radish is better than pears'.' At that time, no matter how poor the families were, people would buy a radish for their children to chew on.

The radishes sold in Beijing are the delicious rose heart kind — green on the outside and purple-red on the inside that have been stored for a whole winter.

People used to divide the 15 days of lichun into three periods based on folk observation: During the first five days, the east wind brings warmth and the earth begins to thaw; the next five days sees dormant insects slowly wake up; during the last period, the ice in the river begins to melt and fish come to the surface.

Since hopes for a good start in spring are a priority, there are special taboos observed to this day: One can't lie down on lichun, because this day is a time when the yang energy starts to rise significantly, and one should stand or sit to welcome it. There should be no verbal disputes, and one should be peaceful. One should avoid seeing a doctor, and avoid haircuts or relocation.

Folklore expert Gao Wei argues that modern people's seasonal cognition has been sabotaged, in addition to the obvious departure from the rhythm of life in an agricultural society. The failure to correctly understand the connotations of the solar terms is among the many disappointing facets of modern society.

"An often heard misconception is that 'the solar term is a climate phenomenon in the Yellow River Basin, and has nothing to do with my region'. This is only half true," he says.

"The name of the solar terms was indeed formed in the basin. However, their connotations are far more diverse than the fixed names and locations," he says.

Xiao Fang, vice-president of the Chinese Folklore Society, however, is happy to see a rising national consciousness of the ancient wisdom.

He recalls that lichun was specially mentioned at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics last year as a symbol of growth, strength and hope. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms, representative of the intangible cultural heritage of mankind, were used as the countdown to the start of the Games, while highlighting Chinese civilization.

"Chinese people regard natural time as the basis of lifetime, which reflects an ecological wisdom of harmony between man and nature. As the head of the four seasons, lichun is a new starting point and a sign of the arrival of spring," he says.