Xiaoman, the eighth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, is also the second solar term of summer. Xiaoman, fighting nails, the sun reaches 60 degrees of the Yellow Meridian, and the festival is celebrated every year from May 20th to 22nd in the Gregorian calendar. The name Xiaoman has two meanings. Firstly, it is related to climate and precipitation. During the Little Full Solar Term, the rainstorm in the south began to increase with frequent precipitation; There is a folk saying that goes, 'Little man, little man, rivers gradually fill up.'. The word 'full' in Xiaoman refers to the abundance of rainwater. Secondly, it is related to agricultural wheat. During the Xiaoman solar term in northern regions, there is less or even no rainfall, and this "full" does not refer to precipitation, but to the fullness of wheat.
During the Xiaoman solar term, southern China generally experiences heavy rainfall; The warm and humid air flow from the ocean is active and converges with the cold air coming from the north to the south. At this time, there will be continuous large-scale heavy rainfall in South China, causing rainstorm or extremely heavy rainstorm; The Jiangnan region is often full of rivers and lakes. If there is less rainfall during this stage, it may be due to the weaker subtropical high pressure in the Pacific Ocean, which is located to the south, indicating that it is the season of Huangmei. In the north, there is little or no rainfall during the Xiaoman solar term, and the temperature rises rapidly during this period, further reducing the temperature difference with the south.
The "24 solar terms" are a product of ancient agricultural civilization. They are not only a seasonal system that guides agricultural production, but also a folk system that contains rich folk phenomena. The customs of Xiaoman solar terms are formed based on the characteristics of agricultural society. The customs of solar terms mainly include "Xiaoman worships the God of Chariots", "Xiaoman moves three carts (water cart, oil cart, and silk cart)", "Xiaoman snatches water", "Xiaoman prays for silkworms", "Xiaoman eats wild vegetables", etc.

historical origin
The "24 solar terms" are specific festivals in the calendar that represent changes in natural rhythms and establish the "twelve month construction". They can accurately reflect changes in natural rhythms and contain long-standing cultural connotations and historical accumulation. The climate characteristic of the Xiaoman solar term is frequent precipitation, often resulting in sustained large-scale heavy rainfall. In the southern region, "Man" in Xiaoman refers to the surplus of rainwater. 'Full', from the water, originally means' overflowing '. As the "Shuowen Jiezi" says, "Full, overflowing." During the Xiaoman solar term, the South China Sea summer monsoon broke out, and the rainfall in southern China gradually increased, causing rivers to become small and overflowing. At this time, it is the period of storing water and planting rice. If there is too little rainfall during this season, as the saying goes in agricultural proverbs, "If a small man is not satisfied, the field will be cut off." "If a small man is not satisfied, the mang seed will not matter." This means that if the field is not filled with enough water during the small man season, it may cause the field to dry and crack, and even rice cannot be planted during the mang seed season. After the Xiaoman solar term, due to the influence of the South China Sea summer monsoon, heavy precipitation in southern China will significantly increase, and rivers will gradually fill up.
In northern China, 'Xiaoman' does not refer to precipitation, but to the degree of wheat plumpness. During the Xiaoman solar term, the northern region has not yet entered the rainy season, with very little or even no rainfall. The farmland in northern China is mainly dry land, and wheat is the main grain crop. By the time of the Xiaoman solar term, the grains of summer crops such as wheat in northern China have begun to be full, but they have not yet matured, and are about to reach the late stage of milk ripening, so they are called "Xiaoman". According to Confucianism, it is taboo to be "too full" or "too full", and there are sayings such as "full attracts damage, humble benefits" and "extreme things will reverse". Full of losses, humble benefits. A small man is full without loss, full without gain, full without overflow. During the Xiaoman season, wheat grains in northern regions are just full but not yet completely full. If they are completely full, they will be too full. At this time, the degree of fullness of wheat grains is just right, and the wheat is full but not full, full but not overflowing.
Meteorological changes
Southern region: During the Xiaoman solar term, southern China generally experiences heavy rainfall. The warm and humid air flow from the southern ocean is active, and it intersects with the cold air flowing from the north to the south in South China. At this time, there will often be continuous large-scale heavy rainfall in South China, resulting in rainstorm or extremely heavy rainstorm, as the folk saying goes, "small full, rivers gradually full". After Xiaoman, South China entered the "Loong Boat Water" rainfall concentration period. The Jiangnan region is often full of rivers and lakes. If there is less rainfall during this stage, it may be due to the weaker subtropical high pressure in the Pacific Ocean, which is located to the south, indicating that it is the season of Huangmei. For southern regions, rivers and lakes are often full during the Xiaoman solar term.
Northern region: During the Xiaoman solar term, northern China has not yet entered the rainy season. The rainy season in northern China is from late July to early August each year (known as "seven down and eight up"). For northern regions, the low or no rainfall in Xiaoman is not as impressive as the rise in temperature. The Xiaoman solar term is often the period with the longest sunshine hours among the 24 solar terms in northern regions. Heating dry air in the north is much easier than heating humid air in the south, so during Xiaoman, the temperature in some parts of the north is prone to sudden spikes and rises rapidly, further reducing the temperature difference with the south. The northern region is engaged in dryland agriculture, with wheat being the main grain crop. The name Xiaoman in northern China means that the grains of summer ripe crops such as wheat have begun to be full, but not yet fully full, about equivalent to the late stage of milk ripening.  
phenological phenomenon
Due to the differences in climate and phenology between the north and south of China, the fullness, maturity, and harvesting time of wheat may also vary. Generally speaking, wheat in some southern regions of China has already begun to ripen and harvest during the Beginning of Summer and Xiaoman seasons. Wheat in some northern regions of China only begins to mature and harvest during the season of full bloom. During the Xiaoman season, wheat crops in northern regions enter the grain filling stage, and the seeds gradually become plump.
Wu Cheng, a literati of the Yuan Dynasty, compiled the "Collection and Explanation of the Seventy Two Seasons of the Moon". He divided the twenty-four solar terms of a year into "seventy-two seasons", with each season divided into three seasons. Among them, the three seasons of Xiaoman are: "The first season is when the bitter vegetables are beautiful, the second season is when the grass is dead, and the third season is when the wheat is autumn." This means that after the Xiaoman solar term, the bitter vegetables have already become lush with branches and leaves; Afterwards, some slender and soft grass species that prefer shade began to wither and die in strong sunlight; In the last period of Xiaoman, the wheat begins to ripen. The original name of the Third Hou was Xiaoshu Zhi, and later some works were changed to Maiqiu Zhi. Although it's still summer, for wheat, it's the ripe 'autumn'. Summer is the season when winter wheat ripens in the north, while autumn is the season when grains ripen. Therefore, ancient people extended the term "early summer" to mean "wheat autumn" (the season when wheat ripens).
Agricultural activities
From the perspective of climate (average temperature) characteristics, during the Xiaoman season, most parts of China have already entered summer, and the temperature difference between the north and south has further narrowed. China is the most active region of the global summer monsoon, which is significantly influenced by the East Asian summer monsoon. The summer monsoon not only fundamentally determines the distribution pattern of China's climate, but also controls the changes in the position of China's rain bands and the conditions of droughts and floods. After the Xiaoman solar term, the South China Sea summer monsoon will erupt, which means that a continuous stream of water vapor will flood into China, and convective heavy precipitation in southern China will significantly increase. Some regions in China are currently experiencing the peak of the pre flood season, and will fully enter the main flood season thereafter. China has a large geographical span between the north and south, with different climates in different regions. In terms of precipitation, during the Xiaoman season, the southern region receives abundant rainfall while the northern region receives scarce rainfall. Among them, the precipitation in the areas south of the Yangtze River is generally greater than 100 millimeters, and the precipitation in coastal areas such as Fujian and Guangdong is greater than 180 millimeters; The precipitation in the northern regions of North China and Northeast China ranges from 20 to 40 millimeters, while the precipitation in the northwest region is less than 20 millimeters.
Xiaoman reflects the climate characteristics of heavy rainfall, just as the folk saying goes, 'Xiaoman, the rivers gradually fill up'. Only when rivers gradually fill up can there be sufficient water to divert and irrigate farmland. At this time, the crops in the farmland need sufficient water, so people are busy stepping on water trucks and diverting water to irrigate the fields. After Xiaoman, the precipitation further increases, and the rainfall is sufficient and timely. Grain crops can grow vigorously, and plants in nature are relatively plump and lush. Xiaoman, like rain, valley rain, light snow, heavy snow, etc., are all solar terms that directly reflect precipitation. The main weather characteristics before and after Xiaoman are high temperature, high humidity, and heavy rain. The surplus and shortage of rainwater in Xiaoman indicate that the fields should be filled with water during Xiaoman, otherwise it may cause the field ridges to dry and crack, and even prevent the planting of rice, affecting the harvest of crops.
In southern China, farmland is mainly paddy fields, and rice is the main grain crop. In some rice growing areas, "Xiaoman" is the time for transplanting rice seedlings, and "planting Xiaoman seedlings" can ensure that the sickle is opened and the rice is harvested during the harvest season. Before and after the arrival of the Xiaoman solar term, it is a busy time for farming. Farmland management is extremely important. In northern regions, farmland is mainly dry land, and wheat is the main grain crop. The northern region of China, north of the Qinling Mountains and Huai River, belongs to a temperate monsoon climate with low heat and less precipitation. It is mainly planted with dryland crops, mainly wheat. After Xiaoman, winter wheat in northern China has entered a critical stage of yield formation. It is necessary to strengthen fertilizer and water management in the later stage, prevent premature aging of roots and leaves, promote full grain filling of winter wheat, and increase grain weight.
Due to the large geographical span between the north and south of China, there are significant differences in climate, agricultural production, major crop varieties, and growth conditions among different regions. The fullness, maturity, and harvesting time of winter wheat may also vary. Generally speaking, wheat in Hubei province begins to mature and be harvested during the beginning of summer, while wheat in Anhui, Henan, and central southern Jiangsu provinces matures and is harvested during the Xiaoman season.
During the Xiaoman season, wheat in southwestern China has already matured and harvested, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are gradually being harvested. Wheat in the main production areas of the Huang Huai Hai region is about to mature.
traditional custom
Sacrifice to the God of Chariots: The Xiaoman solar term means entering the rainy season with heavy rainfall, which begins to increase and often results in sustained large-scale heavy rainfall. The agricultural proverb 'xiaoman' in southern regions refers to precipitation among the three major elements of climate (light, precipitation, and temperature). During the Xiaoman solar term, there is heavy rainfall, and the rivers are so small that they are full. The so-called 'Xiaoman Dong San Che' refers to the water truck, oil truck, and silk truck. At this time, the crops in the farmland need sufficient water, so farmers are busy using water trucks to turn over the water. In the old days, water trucks were used for irrigation and drainage in rural areas, and as usual, water trucks were started during the Xiaoman season.
The ancients believed in the existence of spirits in all things, and the "three gods" corresponded to the "three chariots", namely the god of water chariots, the god of oil chariots, and the god of silk chariots. Sacrificing to the God of Chariots is an ancient Xiaoman custom in some rural areas. There is also a legend that the "God of Chariots" is a white dragon. Farmers place fish, incense, and other offerings on the base of the chariot in front of it, and a cup of white water is poured into the field during the offering to wish for a prosperous water source. These customs fully demonstrate people's emphasis on water conservancy and irrigation.
Silkworm Prayer Festival: Xiaoman is the birthday of the silkworm god, so there is a silkworm prayer festival in Jiangsu and Zhejiang during the Xiaoman solar term. The Chinese agricultural culture is characterized by "men farming and women weaving". The raw material for women's weaving is mainly cotton in the north and sericulture in the south. Silk is obtained by raising silkworms, cocooning, and drawing silk, so sericulture is extremely prosperous in rural areas of southern China, especially in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.
In the Qing Jialu, it is recorded that when Xiaoman arrived, the silkworm wife boiled cocoons, treated carts and spun silk, and operated day and night. It can be seen that during the Xiaoman solar term in ancient times, new silk was about to be launched, and the silk market was about to turn prosperous. Silk farmers and merchants were full of expectations, waiting for the day of harvest to come quickly.
Eating wild vegetables and bitter vegetables: Eating wild vegetables is also one of Xiaoman's customs. Bitter dish is one of the earliest edible wild herbs in China. In ancient times, there was a custom among the people to eat wild vegetables and bitter vegetables, which could clear heat and reduce fire. The spring breeze blows, bitter vegetables grow, and the barren land is a granary. In medicine, bitter vegetables are often used to treat fever, and ancient people also used them to sober up.
Water grabbing: As it reaches Xiaoman, the precipitation in the south begins to increase and the rainfall is abundant. In ancient times, the main tool for irrigation was the water wheel. 'Snatching water' is a farming custom held by the people during the Xiaoman solar term. Waterwheel irrigation and drainage is a major event in rural areas. As the saying goes, 'Xiaoman moves three carts (three carts refer to silk carts, oil carts, and water carts).' Waterwheel irrigation is usually started during Xiaoman. It is spread in the Haining area of Zhejiang Province. When holding this ceremony, elderly deacons often gather households and light torches at dawn on a predetermined date. They eat wheat cakes, wheat cakes, and wheat balls on the water wheel base. When the deacons use drums and gongs as a sign, the group of people use striking tools to step on the pre installed water wheels on the small river Han, and dozens of them step together to divert the river water into the fields until it dries up. During the Xiaoman season, dry weather is prone to occur, which is very unfavorable for crops. In the past, farmers would use water trucks to irrigate and alleviate the drought.