Spring
Beginning of Spring
Feb 4–17
Start of Spring (Lichun) is the first of the twenty‑four solar terms, marking the arrival of the sun at the celestial longitude of 315°. The name signifies “beginning” and “growth”. This article details Lichun’s alternative names, historical origins (dating back to the Spring and Autumn period, with rites formalized in the Qin dynasty), climatic characteristics (rising temperatures, north‑south differences), the phenological phenomena of the three pentads (the east wind thaws the ice, hibernating insects begin to stir, fish ascend bearing ice on their backs), and millennial‑old folk customs such as “biting the spring” (eating spring pancakes) and “beating the spring” (whipping a clay ox). It is an auspicious solar term that heralds the renewal of all things and the start of farming.
Beginning of Spring (Lichun), also known as the First Month Festival, Year Festival, Changing Year, Year Dawn, and Spring Whipping, is the first of the twenty-four solar terms. It occurs when the sun reaches the ecliptic longitude of 315°, typically falling on February 3–5 in the Gregorian calendar. “Li” means “beginning”; “chun” represents warmth and growth. Lichun signifies the origin of all things and the renewal of all life, marking the start of a new cycle. In traditional thought, Lichun carries auspicious connotations.
As a solar term, Lichun dates back to the Spring and Autumn period. The “Almanac of the Twelve Months” in Lüshi Chunqiu (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals) already listed eight solar terms including Lichun and the Spring Equinox. From the Qin dynasty onward, China has consistently taken Lichun as the start of the Meng Chun (Early Spring) season. In subsequent dynasties, rulers would hold a ceremonial ritual on this day to encourage farming and promote agricultural production. In ancient times, Lichun was an important sacrificial festival and a key time for exhorting farmers to prepare for cultivation. Over time, it gradually evolved into a variety of folk customs that have lasted for millennia, including “spring performance” (yanchun), “welcoming spring” (yingchun), “whipping the spring ox” (dachun), and “biting spring” (yaochun).
During the Lichun period, temperatures, sunshine, and rainfall all begin to increase and rise. The earth warms, all things start to grow; winter is ending and spring is on its way. Because China has a vast territory spanning a great latitudinal range, natural rhythms vary across regions. In areas south of the Tropic of Cancer, the aura of early spring is palpable, while in some northern parts it is merely a prelude to spring, with everything still dormant in the depths of winter. Lichun is divided into three pentads. In the first pentad, the east wind brings thaw: the east wind carries warmth, and the earth begins to thaw. In the second pentad, hibernating insects begin to stir: dormant insects slowly awaken in their burrows. In the third pentad, fish rise beneath the ice: ice on the rivers starts to melt, and fish begin swimming close to the surface. Lichun is also a key season for farming; peasants seize the time to prepare for spring plowing and sowing, laying a solid foundation for the year's harvest.
