Start of Spring

Mornings have been quiet here in Clinton Corners, but last week I was happy to hear birds sing as they began to return to the neighborhood. Maybe you’ve noticed the days are getting longer, too. It’s only February, but nature is hinting at warmer days ahead. In fact, according to the ancient Chinese solar terms calendar, February 4th was the first day of spring!

 Beginning in the 17th century BC, when China was primarily an agrarian culture, farmers closely observed and recorded changes in nature, including precipitation, temperature, and position of the sun in the sky. Those observations evolved over time into the present calendar of solar terms, dividing the suns trip across the sky into 24 segments of approximately 15 days each.  Once you are aware of these briefer seasonal descriptions you may, like me, enjoy how closely attuned they are to the actual seasonal changes as they occur.  Although no longer solely relied upon to determine agricultural production, the Chinese agrarian calendar is a comforting reminder of the wisdom of living and working in harmony with nature. UNESCO agrees: in 2016 it declared the solar terms as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.