The 24 Solar terms are listed as an intangible heritage by UNESCO.
These are essentially where our 4 seasons come from, with each of the seasons we’re so familiar with [spring, summer, fall and winter] broken down into 6 mini-seasons – known as Solar Terms.
This video gives you a great overview of the 24 Solar Terms.
This box is a favourite for us; we draw inspiration for our boxes from talking to people from all walks of life. The idea for sharing Solar Terms with families who have children adopted from China came from a Chinese young adult adult care leavers who grew up in a Children’s Welfare Institution but was never adopted. He felt like Chinese children adopted to the West should know this aspect of Chinese culture.
The Solar Terms are:
In Spring:
立春 lì chūn Beginning of Spring 4th-18th Feb
雨水 yǔ shuǐ Rain Water 19th Feb-5th March
惊蛰 jīng zhé Insects Awake 6th-20th March
春分 chūn fēn Spring Equinox 21st March-4th April
清明 qīng míng Pure Brightness 5th-19th April
谷雨 gǔ yǔ Grain Rain 20th April-4th May
In Summer:
立夏 lì xià Start of Summer 5th-20th May
小满 xiǎo mǎn Lesser Full Grain 21st May-5th June
芒种 máng zhòng Grain in Beard 6th-20th June
夏至 xià zhì Summer Solstice 21st June-6th July
小暑 xiǎo shǔ Lesser Heat 7th-22nd July
大暑 dà shǔ Great Heat 23rd July-6th Aug
In Fall:
立秋 lì qiū Start of Fall 7th-22nd August
处暑 chǔ shǔ End of Heat 23rd Aug-7th Sept
白露 bái lù White Dew 8th-22nd Sept
秋分 qiū fēn Fall Equinox 23rd Sept-7th Oct
寒露 hán lù Cold Dew 8th-22nd October
霜降 shuāng jiàng Frost Descends 23rd Oct-6th Nov
In Winter:
立冬 lì dōng Start of Winter 7th-21st November
小雪 xiǎo xuě Lesser Snow 22nd Nov-6th Dec
大雪 dà xuě Great Snow 7th-21st December
冬至 dōng zhì Winter Solstice 22nd Dec-5th Jan
小寒 xiǎo hán Lesser Cold 6th-19th January
大寒 dà hán Great Cold 20th Jan-3rd Feb
How to best use this box:
We recommend using the engraved wooden circles [shown in <== image ] to follow the dates of each solar term.
As each new term approaches you can read up in the bilingual all about the cultures and traditions associated with that solar term. This is also a great time to do the related craft circle.
Chinese traditional art posters featuring each of the four seasons.
In China, the 4 seasons are often represented in Chinese are and its very common to see four similar nature scenes depicting different seasons displayed together.
A Chinese phrase 四季分明 means that somewhere has 4 distinct seasons, which suggests that the place has all different kinds of beauty.
We hope your family LOVE the 哥哥‘s [big brother’s] suggestion of helping China kids in the West to connect with the culture of Solar Terms! This box really is one that can you enjoy all year around.