LìChūn-Spring has come le
LìChūn 春天(chūntiān) Spring started in China on February 3rd this year. LìChūn is the first of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. This is the time of year that plants begin to grow and the weather gets warmer. LìChūn(立春) literally means the beginning of the spring. The Chinese usually make and eat spring pancakes and rolls with their parents to celebrate LìChūn. chūnbǐng(春饼) or “Spring Pancakes” stuffed with vegetables, spring rolls and /or carrots are eaten during this time which is a custom called 'bite the spring' on the first day of the start of spring. My āyí (nanny) prepared some delicious pancakes for me and I loved them! In some rural areas, "beat the spring cattle" is also a folk tradition for farmers apart from "bite the spring". A cow made of paper, mud or clay, is beaten by farmers with a colorful club or a whip which is done for good harvest and to let the winter laziness of the cattle go away. This is kind of similar to Pong...