Grain Buds | Explore 24 solar terms along the Tropic of Cancer

Grain Buds (Chinese: 小满), the 8th solar term of a year, begins today (May 21), and will end on June 5.

Every year around May 20-22 when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 60°, the second solar term of summer, Grain Buds arrives. A proverb in south China goes that "during the Grain Buds period, the rivers gradually fill with water". During this period, the weather is uncertain in the south while it is usually sunny in the north.

Ancient Chinese described this solar term as: first, the sow thistle is leafy and ready to be picked; second, shade-loving grasses will wither due to the strong sunshine; third, the wheat will be ripe soon, despite the fact that crops usually ripen in autumn.