Autumn · No.16
Autumn Equinox
Qiu Fen
Day and night balance again, after which northern nights grow longer and harvest and sowing run side by side.
At the Autumn Equinox the sun crosses the equator again and day matches night; from here the northern nights lengthen. Thunder fades, insects seal their burrows, and puddles dry out. Harvest peaks in the north with maize, soybeans and peanuts coming in while winter wheat has to be drilled before the cold; the south cuts late rice and sows rapeseed. Crabs are fat, chrysanthemums yellow, osmanthus out, and Jiangnan steams crab with warm rice wine. In the south, wild amaranth is picked and simmered with fish. With the air dry and temperatures swinging, carry a jacket and keep a bowl of water in the room.
Three pentads
- 1
Thunder dies away and the sky turns quiet
- 2
Insects plug their burrows with earth
- 3
Ponds and ditches dry down to the mud
What people eat now
crab
Around the Autumn Equinox crabs are full of roe; steamed with ginger vinegar, they go with warmed rice wine.
osmanthus cake
Osmanthus opens at the Autumn Equinox; the flowers are preserved in sugar and steamed into cakes that scent the whole room.
taro
Taro is dug at the Autumn Equinox, steamed with sugar or braised with duck until it soaks up the sauce.
What people wear
At the Autumn Equinox day and night balance again, mild at noon and cold at the edges. Wear long sleeves with a light jacket, off at midday and firmly back on by evening. The old advice is to stay a little cool in autumn, but keep your back and feet warm, and add a layer as soon as the wind rises.