Liqiu is the 13th solar term in the 24 solar terms. It’s on August 8 or 9 every year meaning the beginning of the fall.
When it comes to this season, the leaves ofthe firmiana tree start to fall, thus there is a saying of “One leave falls, autumn arrives.” People can feel the wind is getting cool and see fogs in the morning sometimes. It’s also a season of harvest.
Traditional Customs and Seasonal Food
Traditions around this time include “touch the autumn”, “get the autumn fat” and so on. “Touch the autumn” happens on the day of August 15,when all the married women who still haven’t got children go to the filed in the midnight, find and touch the melon seeds, with the accompany of her sister-in-law or other females. It’s also popular to “get the autumn fat”. Since people have little appetite during the hot summer and often lose some weight, the beginning of autumn will simulate appetite again.
“Autumn Commences” is the season of transformation. The Yang Qi gets less and Yin Qi grows. It’s the most important time to protect one’s lung. People should not eat too much spring onions and ginger. Food such as sesame, sticky rice, honey, loquat and dairy food will be very good to the stomach.
(Note: Some words are selected from Hujiang English and some pictures from internet.)
