YuShui 雨水 - Second Solar Term of the year

YuShui 雨水 (Rain Water)  is the second solar term among the 24 solar terms. Every year around February 19, when the sun's ecliptic longitude reaches 330 degrees, it is YuShui 雨水 (Rain Water/Rain) of the 24 solar terms. At this time, the temperature rises, ice/snow melts, and the precipitation increases, resulting in the name 'Rain Water'. This solar term generally starts on February 18th or 19th and ends on March 4th or 5th. Rain, like Grain Rain, light snow, and heavy snow, is a solar term that reflects the phenomenon of precipitation.

The Origin of  YuShui 雨水 (Rain Water)

YuShui 雨水 (Rain Water) means two things. One is that the weather is getting warmer and the precipitation is gradually increasing. The other is that in terms of the form of precipitation, there is less snow and more rain.

The "Collection of the Seventy-two Hours of the Moon Order" says: "The first month of the year" In the middle, the sky produces water. The beginning of spring belongs to wood, but what produces wood must be water, so the beginning of spring is followed by rain. And when the east wind thaws, it disperses and turns into rain."

This means that before and after the YuShui 雨水 solar term, all things begin to sprout. Spring is coming. In the "Book of Yizhou", there are phenological records such as "swan geese coming" and "vegetation budding" after the YuShui 雨水 Festival. 

In ancient times, YuShui 雨水 solar term was divided into three periods: "In the first period, otters sacrificed fish; in the second period, swans came; and in the third period, vegetation sprouted."

During this solar term, otters began to fish, and the fish were placed on the shore as if they were sacrificed first and then eaten. After five days, the geese began to fly back from the south to the north; after another five days, in the spring rain that "moistened everything silently", the grass and trees began to sprout buds as the Yang Qi rose from the ground. From then on, the earth gradually began to show a prosperous scene.

 Traditions of YuShui

During the Rain Festival among the people of older traditions, married daughters bring gifts and return to their parents’ homes to visit. Women who have given birth to children must bring cans of meat, chairs and other gifts to express their gratitude to their parents for their upbringing. For women who have difficulty becoming pregnant, their mothers will sew a pair of red inner-trousers for them to wear. It is said that this will help them become pregnant and give birth to children as soon as possible. This custom is still popular in rural areas of China.

There is also a particularly interesting folk activity on rainy days called "La Baobao" (Baobao = godfather). The Rain Festival means godfather, which means "moistened by rain and dew, it is easy to grow".

In the past, people had the habit of praying to gods and divination for their children to see what their fortunes were and whether they needed to find a godfather. The purpose of finding a godfather is to help the son or daughter grow up smoothly and healthily. So there was the activity of La Baobao during the Rain Festival. This practice, year after year, has gradually become a custom.

Healthy Life Style Tips

As the rainfall increases, the evil of cold and dampness can easily trap the spleen. Dampness lingers and is difficult to remove, so you should focus on protecting the spleen before and after rainfall. During the YuShui solar term, the moisture in the ground gradually rises, and dew and frost appear in the morning. Therefore, in response to such climate characteristics, dietary maintenance should focus on nourishing the spleen and stomach, and dispelling wind and dampness. And because the climate is cooler at this time, you can take appropriate supplements, such as:

• honey
• Da Zao (Hei) (Black Jujube, Fructus Jujubae, 大枣)
• Shan Yao (Chinese Yam, Rhizoma Dioscoreae, 山药)
• Yin Er, Zhangzhou Yin Er (Snow Fungus, Fructificatio Tremellae Fuciformis, 漳州银耳)

This changeable weather can easily cause mood swings and uneasiness, affecting everyone's physical and mental health. This can be more detrimental to patients with high blood pressure, heart disease, and asthma. In order to eliminate these unfavorable factors, in addition to continuing the spring mask, active mental conditioning and physical exercises should be adopted to your routine. Maintaining emotional stability plays a very important role in physical and mental health as well.

After the rain, the spring breeze brings warmth, and disease-causing bacteria and viruses are easily spread by the wind, so infectious diseases are often prone to outbreaks in spring. Everyone should protect themselves, pay attention to physical exercise, and focus on prevention on the occurrence of diseases.