It is about to enter the sixth month of the lunar calendar. People often say that the first day of June is the Little New Year. Therefore, people in rural areas pay special attention to the Little New Year festival. In the past, when new wheat and wheat had been harvested, people would place offerings on the first day of June with the joy of harvest, praying to God for good weather and abundant harvests in the autumn. As a result, many customs and particularities were left behind, and many common sayings came into being and were passed down.
June is also called the "last month". "Weiyue" is a timekeeping method used by ancient people to use the twelve earthly branches. According to the twelve earthly branches, they correspond to the twelve months: the Yin month of the first month, the Mao month of the second month, the Chen month of the third month, the end month of April, the midday month of the fifth month, the late month of the sixth month, the Shen month of the seventh month, the You month of the August month, and the ninth month of the ninth month. The month of October, the month of Hai, the month of November, and the month of Chou in December. Therefore, old people often call June the last month.
After the first day of June in the lunar calendar, it is the sixth day of June. The sixth day of June in the lunar calendar is also a traditional festival "Tiankuang Festival", and Kuang means "gift". This festival has rarely been mentioned in modern times, and only a few areas still retain some of the customs of this festival. Among the people, there are many opinions about and June 6, but most people call it "drying day".
Legend has it that this festival is related to Monk Tang’s pilgrimage to the West for Buddhist scriptures. Monk Tang was knocked over by an angry turtle into the river when he was returning from Xitian to collect Buddhist scriptures. As a result, the wet Buddhist scriptures were aired to dry. This day happened to be the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. At first, the imperial palace used this day to dry the dragon robes for the emperor. Later, it spread from the palace to the people, and it became an auspicious day. In order to get good luck, every household would hang out at the gate on this day. In the past, clothes were exposed to dry, and later people developed a custom called "Drying Festival".
"June 6th Airing Festival"
People believe that on this day to dry clothes and quilts, the strong sunlight can dry out all kinds of bugs in the clothes and quilts, making them cleaner. In the past, living conditions were poor, and there would often be dirt inside the quilts. There are parasites such as , fleas, and . Drying on June 6th in a high temperature and dry environment can indeed remove these pests very well.
In addition to drying quilts and clothes, they also dry agricultural products, such as summer grain after harvest, which will also be spread out to dry on this day. Some old people say that drying grain on June 6th can keep the grain insect-free for a year. So the arrival of June 6th is also a day when people are busy drying food.
In addition to posting these things on June 6th, teachers in the past also regarded this day as a festival for posting books. Therefore, some literati called it " Book Posting Festival". Drying the books on this day will not only prevent them from growing insects, but also help them to be better preserved.
Therefore, people pay great attention to the weather conditions on June 6th, and they all hope to have a sunny day to bask in the things they should bask in. As the saying goes: "June 6th is cloudy, and cattle and sheep are as valuable as gold." What does this mean? If it is cloudy on the sixth day of June, will cattle and sheep be more expensive? What does cloudy weather have to do with whether cattle and sheep are expensive?
"If the sixth day of June is cloudy, cattle and sheep are as valuable as gold"
Literally, this sentence means that if it is cloudy and rains on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the price of cattle and sheep will rise in the future. Why do you say that?
As we all know, in the poor days of the past, when science and technology was underdeveloped, the current weather station predictions did not exist at all, and people could only make conclusions through regular observations. After long-term observation, the ancients discovered that there are certain regularities between the weather conditions on June 6 and the weather in the future.
If it is cloudy or rainy on the sixth day of June in the lunar calendar, then the weather in the later period will be cloudy and rainy, and it will rain non-stop. On the contrary, it is a situation of drought and little rain. If it rains a lot, it will cause floods, which will endanger crops and livestock, thus causing losses to families. Due to continuous rain, crop harvests will be affected, and there will be insufficient fodder for raising cattle and sheep, resulting in a shortage of cattle and sheep, and the price of cattle and sheep will also decrease. It will be more expensive than in previous years. Therefore, there is a saying that "it is cloudy on June 6th, and cattle and sheep are as valuable as gold."
Obviously, this saying is no longer applicable to today. After all, it is now scientifically farmed, and with advanced weather forecasts, people can take precautions before they happen. However, this proverb tells us that if it is cloudy or raining without the sun on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, it is very easy for the rain to increase in the later period. If such weather occurs, we must make preparations to prevent flooding in advance. , in order to reduce the economic losses caused by floods. Whether this is the case, we can only wait and see.
Of course, as the saying goes, weather predictions have certain regional characteristics and limitations. Our country has a vast territory and the climate is very different between the north and the south, so it cannot be generalized. Since the older generation has this statement, whether it is accurate or not is one thing. It at least reflects the wisdom and wisdom of the working people in ancient my country. I don’t know if you have any predictions about the weather on June 6 or what common sayings you have heard. Please leave a message in the comment area to share!
