夏至(xiazhi）Summer Solstice 21 June 2018

夏至 (xiazhi）or Summer Solstice is the tenth solar term in the Chinese calendar.As in other countries, this is the longest day of the year and also the shortest night. The weather turns fickle, there are rainstorms, plum rain in the Jianghuai area of China and it is hot and humid.

For good health during this hot season, people are recommended to eat bitter foods, green leafy vegetables and melons. To replace water loss from sweat, drinking green bean soup is also recommended. It is also a custom to eat noodles. Waxberry, called 杨梅(yang mei) in Chinese, also ripens during this period.  

Other customs include women sending one another fans and cosmetics as gifts as well as prayer ceremonies for good harvests and to prevent disasters.

On 30 Nov 2016, China’s “Twenty-four Solar Terms”was accepted by Unesco into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.