Spring · No.1
Beginning of Spring
Li Chun
The ground softens, river ice cracks, and buds swell on bare branches as farmers count a new year from here.
Around the Beginning of Spring the sun's direct rays swing north again and each day gains a minute or two of light. River ice turns honeycombed and soft; the wind loses its blade. Rapeseed bolts in the south and willows blush green. Farmers air out seed and repair ploughs. On this day families eat spring rolls and thin pancakes wrapped around bean sprouts and yellow chives, a light, crisp welcome to the new season. Keep the padded coat out a while longer: mornings stay sharp, and the back of the neck feels every draft.
Three pentads
- 1
East winds loosen the ice on rivers
- 2
Hibernating insects stir in the thawing soil
- 3
Fish rise, carrying thin ice on their backs
What people eat now
spring pancake
Thin pancakes wrap bean sprouts and yellow chives, the old northern way of biting into spring on this day.
raw radish
In the north people crunch a raw radish at the start of spring, its sharp bite cutting through weeks of holiday food.
spring roll
Crisp spring rolls, thin-skinned and finely filled, appear on tables around the start of spring, spring itself rolled up.
What people wear
The old rule is to keep warm in spring: do not pack the padded coat away yet. Mornings still bite, so wrap a scarf around your neck and add a thin vest under your jacket. At noon you can unbutton the coat, but do not strip a whole layer. Wait until willow buds open and the day-night gap narrows before shedding clothes one by one.