When is summer solstice this year? The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, but what does it mean culturally? Introducing the relationship between the summer solstice and the winter solstice / solar term, the summer solstice of 2022, the quaint “short night”, the midsummer festival, food, and the 72nd Hou during this period.
What is summer solstice? When is this year?
What kind of day is the summer solstice? When is the summer solstice of 2022? Regarding the relationship with the winter solstice … I will introduce the bean knowledge of the summer solstice that you should know.
The day of the summer solstice in 2022 is June 21st.is. In the Northern Hemisphere, the daytime (the time from sunrise to sunset) is the longest in the year, so it is familiar as “the longest day of the year”.
On the day of the summer solstice, the position of the sun is the highest in the year, so it takes a long time from the rising sun to the setting sun. Since the sun passes almost directly above at noon, many people may feel the summer solstice by seeing a very short shadow
Summer solstice is one of the 24 solar terms
The summer solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms. It refers to the period from the summer solstice (10th of the 24th solar term) to the small heat (11th of the 24th solar term), which is from June 21st to July 7th every year, but it may also refer to the day when the solar term begins. .. Especially in the case of the summer solstice, it is often regarded as “the day with the longest daytime in a year”.
Also, the summer solstice is right in the middle of summer and autumn. There are many areas during the rainy season, but from this time on, we are heading toward the height of summer, as if we were to write “summer”.
Relationship between summer solstice and winter solstice
The pair with the summer solstice, which is the “longest day of the year,” is the winter solstice (around December 22), which is the “shortest day of the year.” The angle between the sun and the horizon when it comes to the south and rises highest is called the “south-middle altitude”, but the summer solstice has the highest south-middle altitude, so the sun is shining longer. .. Dongzhi is the opposite.
From such a state of the sun, the summer solstice has been regarded as “the day when the power of the sun is the strongest”, while the winter solstice is regarded as “the day when the power of the sun is the weakest”. The reason why I go to Yuzu bath and eat pumpkin at the end of the winter is because the sun goes on at the end of the winter and it was thought that it was the day when the sun was reborn. For more information”When is the winter of this year? Why pumpkin and yuzu bath? “please look at.
Since the Southern Hemisphere is reversed from the Northern Hemisphere, the “longest day of the year” is the winter solstice, and the “shortest day of the year” is the summer solstice.
Summer solstice festival
In the Northern Hemisphere, there are many places where festivals are held at the summer solstice. It is especially popular in Northern Europe, but the most famous is the Swedish summer solstice festival, which is considered to be the most important day.
In Japan, the “Midsummer Festival” held at Futamiokitama Shrine (Futamiokitama Jinja / Ise City, Mie Prefecture), which is known as a place to cleanse yourself by visiting Ise, is famous. Amaterasu Omikami, the deified sun, is enshrined at Ise Jingu, and on the day of the summer when the power of the sun is thought to be maximum, a festival where Misogi is performed while bathing in the rising sun from between the Meotoiwa rocks in Futamiura. is.
Summer solstice customs and food
As mentioned above, it has long been thought that the power of the sun will be maximized at the summer solstice. Therefore, I began to thank the blessings of the sun and pray for a good harvest, and I was able to practice planting rice from the summer solstice to the 11th day of Hangesho.
Since there are half-summer students during the summer solstice, the practice of eating food for a good harvest can be seen in various places during this period. Also, since it is about to finish harvesting wheat, some people use wheat-based foods.
- There is still a tradition of making wheat rice cakes after planting rice and offering them to the gods of the rice fields. In Kansai (especially parts of Nara and Osaka prefectures), this wheat rice cake is called ” Hangesho mochi”.
- In Kansai, we eat octopus , hoping that the roots of rice will take root in the ground as strong and deep as the legs of an octopus .
- In Ono City, Fukui Prefecture, the lord of the Ono domain encouraged grilled mackerel in order to recover from the fatigue of farm work and survive the hot and humid summer peculiar to the basin .
- In Aichi, there is a place to eat figs , which are said to be the fruit of immortality and longevity, at Miso Dengaku, which is derived from Dengaku dance.
- In Kagawa prefecture, we use the harvested wheat to make udon noodles and serve the people who helped with the farming work. (Kagawa Prefecture Noodle Business Cooperative has established July 2 as “Udon Day”.)
“Short night” of the fashionable summer solstice
The length of the night changes as the seasons change. The daytime is longer from spring, when the lengths of day and night are almost the same, and the night is the shortest at the summer solstice. So, I would like to talk about a short summer night.Short night(Mijikayo) “, and it has become popular as a summer season word.
During the Heian period, the aristocrats enjoyed a short night and enjoyed firefly hunting. Sei Shonagon also said, “Summer is night. The moon is dry, the darkness is dark, and many fireflies fly away. Also, only one or two, etc., shines faintly. It rains. It is spelled out in “The Pillow Book”.
Even now, there are places where you can hunt fireflies as if you were messing around with the short nights of the summer solstice, and there are also events such as light-downs and candle nights to spend the short nights with the minimum amount of light. For more information”Let’s enjoy firefly hunting! See also ” Firefly Travel Tips and Famous Places / Spots “.
In contrast to “short night” in summer, there are words such as “long night” in autumn, “hinaga” in spring, and “tanjitsu” in winter.
The first, second, and last solstice of the summer solstice
The 72nd Hou, who divided the 24 solar terms into three, changes in this way during the summer solstice. The date is the date for 2022.
■ First Hou: Noto withered (Natsuraku Sakaru) around June 21st
Around the time when the flowers of summer dead grass (Heal-all, Kagoso) seem to be darkened and withered. Summer dead grass is a synonym for moray eel.
■ Next: Ayame Hanasaku around June 26th
Around the time when the iris flowers begin to bloom. Ayame here is not the iris used for the Dragon Boat Festival, but the iris with beautiful flowers.
■ Sue Hou: Half-summer student (Hange Shozu) around July 2nd
Around the time when half-summer begins to grow. In the old days, it was used as a guideline for finishing rice planting. Half-summer is a synonym for Pinellia ternata.
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