07 / 24
Beginning of Summer
As leafy shade begins to gather, summer fills the world.
Solar term date
Dates follow the Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar. They are civil dates, rather than precise astronomical times.
About this solar term
Beginning of Summer starts at solar longitude 45°. It marks summer in the traditional calendar, while actual temperatures and growing seasons vary.
Old seasonal signs describe calling insects, emerging earthworms and growing vines. They evoke the increasing activity of the natural world.
Customs include eating eggs and, in some communities, ceremonial weighing. The term invites attention to longer days and the deepening green of the countryside.
Seasonal signs
Insects call, earthworms emerge, and wild vines begin to grow.
Traditional seasonal signs combine observation with historical imagination. Weather and wildlife vary by region and year.
A reading of the poem
To trace spring's passage into summer, listen for the calendar's new musical note. Who called the earthworms out? The wild plants grow in their own time. Silkworms begin to show their cocoons and birds feed their young. Towering clouds grow lovely as they slowly carry rain across the sky.
Tang dynasty · Traditionally attributed to Yuan Zhen
咏廿四气诗·立夏四月节
Poem source