Two days ago, there was no rain on the "Dividing Dragon Day", what does the agricultural proverb say?
The weather, it's a love-hate thing. A sunny day may be a drought, and a rainy day may be a flood. It can be described as joy, anger and sorrow, elusive. But don't be discouraged, in this seemingly unpredictable weather change, our ancestors have already summed up a lot of experience, leaving many agricultural proverbs full of wisdom for our reference.
Tomorrow is the 20th day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, also known as the "Equinox Dragon Day". This solar term plays a pivotal role in traditional Chinese culture, so let's explore the story behind it.
The origin of "Split Dragon".
Everyone knows that in Chinese mythology and legend, the dragon is the god responsible for managing the rainwater. And every year on the 20th day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, it is considered that these "little dragons" go to their respective areas to carry out rainfall, so there is a saying of "dividing the dragon day".
This statement can be traced back to a very early period of agrarian society. As early as the Shang Dynasty, people had the custom of sacrificing to the dragon king and praying for a good harvest. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this belief and ritual flourished, and temples dedicated to the "Dragon King" appeared. At that time, it was recorded in the "Zuo Biography": "The king made the dragon of the forest on the Taibu Temple, and its dragon should be flooded." It can be seen that at that time, there were already special activities to worship the dragon god.
Over time, this rain prayer activity has also developed further. In the Song Dynasty, a relatively complete custom of "Dividing the Dragon Festival" had been formed. We can see such a passage in the "Guangji of the Year": "If the dragon is divided, the rain will be abundant, and if it is sunny, the people will be hungry." "This shows that people have recognized that the weather conditions on the day of the equinox will have a significant impact on the subsequent rainfall and crop harvest.
In folk tradition, there is also a saying of "Dragon Day" and "Dragon Prosperity Day". According to the "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration": "On May 20, the dragon is divided, and it is better to rain than to be sunny. This means that the 20th of May is considered to be the day when the dragons are taking charge of the rain in their respective areas, so it is hoped that it will rain on this day and not that there will be sunny days.
It can be seen that in China's long-standing agricultural civilization, the solar term of "Fenlong Day" plays a very important role. It is not only a simple festival, but also represents people's deep understanding of the laws of nature and their ardent expectations for a good harvest.
Folk custom of dividing the dragon day
In addition to leaving traces in ancient texts, the solar term of Fenlong Day has also accumulated many interesting customs and sayings among the people.
For example, in the Jiaxing area, the local tradition of "Water Dragon Club" is still preserved. Every 20th day of the fifth lunar month, the local fire department organizes a large-scale fire drill, known as the "Water Dragon Club". It is said that this originated from an interesting story from the Ming Dynasty:
Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, there was a severe drought in the Jiaxing area, and the farmers were so anxious that they went to the Dragon Temple to pray for rain. At this time, an old farmer accidentally fell into Longtan, but fortunately was rescued by the firefighters at that time. Since then, the locals have designated May 20 every year as the day of the "Water Dragon Festival", and through such fire drills to express gratitude and reverence for the dragon god.
In other regions, people also perform ritual activities to pray for rain on this day. In some places, firecrackers and lanterns are hung in front of the Dragon Temple, hoping to attract rain. In some places, mass parades are organized to simulate the scene of "dividing dragons", implying that the dragons are heading to their respective areas to carry rain.
In addition to this, there are many proverbs and sayings about the weather changes on the "Dividing Dragon Day". For example, "the dragon is hiding on May 20, and the yellow seedlings and white rice are squeezed in the mud", "the dragon day is sunny and dry to the end, and the dragon day is rainy and waterlogged until autumn" and so on. These agricultural proverbs reflect the careful observation and summary of the weather changes of the ancestors on this day, and can be said to be a manifestation of ancient wisdom.
To sum up, in China's long agricultural civilization, the solar term of "Fenlong Day" does play a very important role. From the early rain prayer activities, to the festival customs that were formed later, and then to the folk sayings that still exist today, they all reflect people's deep understanding of the laws of nature and their ardent expectations for a good harvest. This concept of nature has also profoundly influenced the development of traditional Chinese culture.
The wisdom of the agricultural proverb of the weather omen
The reason why Equinox Day is in the spotlight is largely because the weather conditions on this day are believed to have a significant impact on subsequent climate change and crop harvests.
Some of the folk proverbs we mentioned earlier vividly reflect the observation and summary of the weather of the ancestors on this day. For example, the "dragon hiding" in "May 20 dragon hiding, yellow seedlings and white rice squeezed in the mud" means that if there is no rain on the day of the dragon equinox, it means that the "little dragons" have not completed their duties, which will lead to less rain in the future, causing drought. "Yellow seedlings and white rice squeezed in the mud" vividly describes the resulting damage to crops.
The "sunny day of the dragon is dry to the end, and the rain and waterlogging on the day of the dragon is more straightforward" more directly expresses the impact of the weather conditions on the climate of the subsequent period. If it is a sunny day, it indicates that the drought will continue to follow; On the other hand, if it rains that day, it means that there will be excessive rain and waterlogging in the future.
These agricultural proverbs undoubtedly reflect the profound understanding of the laws of nature by the ancestors. Although we now have more advanced weather forecasting technology, these folk wisdom is still worth our attention and learning.
These agricultural proverbs not only show the profound insight of the ancients into the changes of nature, but also reflect the great importance they attach to the living environment. In that era of agriculture, weather conditions directly determined people's lives, so people had to pay special attention to natural changes in order to plan production activities and ensure a good harvest.
It can be said that these agricultural proverbs reflect the worldview of the ancestors who "went with the sky". They recognize that they are part of nature and need to conform to the laws of nature and respect the operation of nature. This concept of nature has also influenced many ideas in traditional Chinese culture, such as the Confucian concept of "the unity of heaven and man".
Although our contemporaries have more advanced weather forecasting technology, these ancient agricultural proverbs are still worthy of our attention and learning. On the one hand, they reflect the unique insights of our ancestors into the laws of nature, which can be used as a useful supplement to modern weather forecasting. On the other hand, the concept of nature contained in them is also worth learning from in order to find the way of harmonious coexistence between man and nature in modern society.
Let's explore the wisdom behind these agricultural proverbs, feel the awe of nature and the ardent hope of the ancestors for a good harvest. I believe that through such learning and reflection, we will be able to gain inspiration from it, not only to better cope with natural changes, but also to find a more natural way of living in modern life.