The eleventh session of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritages opens in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa on Monday.
China's Twenty-Four Solar Terms, knowledge of time developed through observation of the sun's annual motion, is one among the 37 requests proposed for the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Spring (Chinese: ??) is the first solar term of the year.
The names of the 24 solar terms are: Start of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright, Grain Rain, Start of Summer, Grain Buds, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, Major Heat, Start of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, Frost's Descent, Start of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold and Major Cold.
Start of Spring (Chinese: ??) is the first solar term of the year. Start of Spring lifts the curtain of spring. After that everything turns green and full of vigor; people clearly see that the daytime is becoming longer and the weather is becoming warmer.
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms.
Rain Water (Chinese: ??) signals the increase in rainfall and rise in temperature. With its arrival, lively spring-like scenery starts blossoming: the river water defreezes, wild geese move from south to north, and trees and grass turn green again.
Awakening of Insects (Chinese: ??) signals a rise in temperature and increased rainfall. As the third solar term in the lunar year, its name alludes to the fact that animals sleeping in winter are awakened by spring thunder and that the earth begins to come back to life. It is the key time for spring agricultural activities.
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. The Spring Equinox (Chinese: ??),as the fourth term of the year, signals the equal length of the day and night time. On the day of the Spring Equinox, sun is directly above the equator. After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in gradually longer day time in the Northern Hemisphere and longer night in the Southern Hemisphere.
Clear and Bright (Chinese: ??), the 5th solar term, is the only one whose first day is also a traditional Chinese festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day. The words ?clear? and ?bright? describe the weather during this period. Temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases, making it a crucial time for plowing and sowing in the spring.
Farmers plant paddy in Liangli Village of Jing'an County, east China's Jiangxi Province, April 19, 2016. Farmers were busy with planting these days, as April 19 is Guyu (Grain Rain), one of the 24 solar terms created by ancient Chinese to carry out agricultural activities according to position of sun at the zodiacal circle. (Xinhua file photo/Xu Zhongting)
Grain Rain (Chinese: ??) originates from the old saying, "Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grains," which shows that this period of rainfall is extremely important for the growth of crops. The Grain Rain signals the end of cold weather and a rapid rise in temperature.
Start of Summer (Chinese: ??), the 7th term of the year, signals the transition of seasons. On this day, the sun's rays reach an angle of 45 degrees to the earth The temperature will rise quickly during this period, yet in Northern China weather remains mild, not tropical.
