Major Heat: Just immerse yourself in the rest of this summer

Major Heat is the 12th of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunar calendar and the last one of the summer. The character “shu” means heat and Major Heat refers to the extreme heat. Compared to Minor Heat, Major Heat is even hotter, representing the peak of intense sunlight and scorching temperatures during the year. The combination of humidity and heat reaches its highest point during this solar term.

Ancient Chinese people observed a natural wonder during Major Heat. Rotten grass turned into another form of life-firefies. But now scientists know that firefies that live in the land lay eggs in dead grass, and during this period of time, young firefies mature and airily fly out, bellies fickering. During Major Heat, the sunshine, high temperatures, and heavy rainfall are good for agricultural crops. Numerous showers will wash away the heat and replenish the crops.

With much heat and rainfall, Major Heat sees rice, cotton and corn enter the fastest-growing phase. However, it is also a time when natural disasters such as drought, flood or typhoons are frequent, a challenging time for farmers. Fragrant lotus fowers, in bud or blooming, stand gorgeously upright in pink and white.

In ancient times, people mixed ginger and brown sugar together
And baked them under the scorching sun before they took the mixture to get rid of moisture inside the body.

During Major Heat, in Guangdong province, it’s popular to eat grass jelly, which has an amazing ability to quell the summer heat.People in Fujian province usually eat litchi, as it is said that litchi during Major Heat is as nourishing as ginseng.And there is a custom in Shandong and Henan provinces where people drink mutton soup on the day of Major Heat.