The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气). Start of Spring is the first solar term of the year. It falls on a different date each year.

Start of Spring means the beginning of spring. After that, nature begins to revive, and plants start to turn green.  People clearly see that the daytime is becoming longer and the weather is becoming warmer.

Here are some things you should know about Start of Spring.

Start of Spring and Spring Festival

As a solar term, Start of Spring had already entered people’s lives in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). At that time, there were eight solar terms. According to some experts, the 24 solar terms were used for the first time in books during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), when the Start of Spring was set as the Spring Festival. In 1913, the first day of the first month of the lunar year was chosen as the Spring Festival.

Flying a kite

Spring is the best season for kite-flying. As a traditional folk activity in China, it has a history of more than 2,000 years. It can help improve physical fitness and promote overall well-being.

Erecting the egg

In China, it is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of the Start of Spring. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand on the first day of Start of Spring, they will have good luck in the future.