The Beginning of Autumn is one of the 24 solar terms in China, between August 7th or 8th of the Gregorian calendar each year. It is the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The origin of autumn activities is related to geography, climate, and agricultural activities.
The beginning of autumn consists of two characters: standing and autumn. Li refers to the beginning, and autumn refers to autumn. The meaning of the beginning of autumn refers to the official entry of autumn at this time.
The name and period of the Liqiu solar term were determined based on ancient astronomical rise and geographical climate changes. The ancients judged seasonal changes by observing the trajectory of the sun and the Earth’s rotation. On the day of the beginning of autumn, when the sun reaches a longitude of 135 °, the position of the sun directly shining on the Earth moves to a longitude of 135 °.
Meanwhile, with the arrival of the beginning of autumn, the summer vacation gradually interrupted and entered a cool autumn. Farmers usually start harvesting some summer crops after the beginning of autumn and begin agricultural activities in autumn, such as harvesting and storing crops, preparing to plant autumn crops, eccetera.
The beginning of autumn is also regarded as a traditional festival, where people hold sacrificial ceremonies to thank for the summer harvest and pray for a bountiful autumn harvest and favorable weather conditions.
Although modern agriculture no longer relies on solar terms to arrange agricultural activities as in ancient times, the beginning of autumn, as one of the traditional Chinese solar terms, still maintains a certain importance and is an important component of ancient Chinese agricultural culture.
Complessivamente, the beginning of autumn is an important solar term. The end of summer and the beginning of autumn have astronomical and geographical significance, as well as agricultural and traditional cultural significance. It represents a bountiful harvest and the cherishing and praying of nature.