A cultural exhibition to welcome Spring is held at the Summer Palace on January 31, 2023.

By Staff Reporters

The 24 solar terms were created by ancient Chinese people to guide agricultural affairs and farming activities, based on the position of the sun in the zodiac. The 24 solar terms reflect changes in climate, agricultural production, and other aspects of human life.

Lichun, the first of the 24 solar terms, is also known as the Beginning of Spring. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 315° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 330. It will fall on February 4, this year. Although it is still cold at that time, everything is revived and nature is flourishing.  Therefore, the ancients attached importance to spring, and there was the ritual of welcoming spring. Lichun is of great significance to traditional farming communities, and major celebrations such as worshipping gods and ancestors, praying for good fortune, warding off evil spirits and avoiding disasters, removing the old and making new arrangements, and welcoming the new spring are all carried out on that day.