The Start of Autumn, or Liqiu, which falls on August 7 this year, is the 13th among the Chinese 24 solar terms, also the first one of autumn.
Though the Start of Autumn represents the beginning of autumn, there are still several days to wait until the sweltering weather ends. Therefore, after autumn comes, people still need to endure the remaining dog days. The following are some folk customs about the Start of Autumn in the Lingnan area.
“Autumn Tiger”
According to Rao Yuansheng, a famous Cantonese cultural scholar, the high temperature tends to recur for a short-term period after the Start of Autumn comes, and these days are called “Autumn Tiger” in the Chinese old saying, featuring rising temperature, strong sunshine, and dry weather.
“Bite autumn”
In South China, people enjoy the custom of eating watermelons to cool themselves down during this solar term, which is called “ken qiu” or “bite autumn” by the folk, meaning to welcome the approaching of autumn.
“Flesh out in autumn”
On the day of the Start of Autumn, people also weigh themselves to compare their weight with that of the Start of Summer to check whether they lost weight or not during this period. To make up for the weight loss, they eat more on the Start of Autumn, which is also named “tie qiu biao” in China.
Co-presented by Nanfang Daily and GDToday
