The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games 北京冬奥会běijīng dōngàohuì， officially opened on 4 February 2022. According to Chinese traditions, all opening dates need to be chosen with special care. Actually, February 4th 2022 is 立春 lìchūn，the first of the twenty-four solar terms 节气 jiéqì included in the Chinese calendar. 立春 lìchūn, announces that “Spring Begins”.
The traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar includes the entire twenty-four solar terms 节气 jiéqì. Each of these solar terms matches a particular astronomical event or signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic and are used by lunisolar calendars to stay synchronised with the seasons, which is crucial for ancient agrarian societies.
On December 1 2016, the solar terms were listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games greeted the arrival of spring with a beautiful countdown of twenty-four solar terms. Let’s take a look.
Here is the list of the twenty-four solar terms which reflect the nature's poetry throughout the year.
Chinese name | English name (Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics official translation) | Gregorian Date in 2022 (± 1 day) | Literal meaning |
立春 lìchūn | Beginning of Spring | Feb 4 | Spring Begins |
雨水 yǔshuǐ | Rain Water | Feb 19 | More Rain Than Snow |
惊蛰 jīngzhé | Awakening of Insects | Mar 6 | Hibernating Animals Awaken |
春分 chūnfēn | Spring Equinox | Mar 21 | Spring Center |
清明 qīngmíng | Pure Brightness | Apr 5 | Clear and Bright |
谷雨 gǔyǔ | Grain Rain | Apr 20 | Wheat Rain |
立夏 lìxià | Beginning of Summer | May 6 | Summer Begins |
小满 xiǎomǎn | Grain Buds | May 21 | Creatures Plenish |
芒种 mángzhòng | Grain in Ear | Jun 6 | Seeding Millet |
夏至 xiàzhì | Summer Solstice | Jun 21 | Summer Maximum |
小暑 xiǎoshǔ | Minor Heat | Jul 7 | A bit Sweltering |
大暑 dàshǔ | Major heat | Jul 23 | Most Sweltering |
立秋 lìqiū | Beginning of Autumn | Aug 8 | Autumn Begins |
处暑 chǔshǔ | End of Heat | Aug 23 | Heat Withdraws |
白露 báilù | White Dew | Sep 8 | Dews |
秋分 qiūfēn | Autumn Equinox | Sep 23 | Autumn Center |
寒露 hánlù | Cold Dew | Oct 8 | Cold Dews |
霜降 shuāngjiàng | Frost's Descent | Oct 23 | Frost |
立冬 lìdōng | Beginning of Winter | Nov 7 | Winter Begins |
小雪 xiǎoxuě | Minor Snow | Nov 22 | Snows a bit |
大雪 dàxuě | Major Snow | Dec 7 | Snows a lot |
冬至 dōngzhì | Winter Solstice | Dec 22 | Winter Maximum |
小寒 xiǎohán | Minor Cold | Jan 6 | A bit Frigid |
大寒 dàhán | Major Cold | Jan 20 | Most Frigid |
Source : wikipedia
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