Lichun


Traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms. Lìchūn, Risshun, Ipchun, or Lập xuân is the 1st solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 315° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 330°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 315°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around February 4 and ends around February 18. It's also the beginning of a sexagenary cycle.

Pentads

Each solar term can be divided into 3 pentads. They are: first pentad, second pentad and last pentad. Pentads in Lichun include:
; China
; Japan

Customs

Lichun traditionally signifies the beginning of spring in East Asian cultures. Chinese New Year is celebrated around this time. Farmers often celebrate the beginning of Lichun with special village events, worship and offerings to the gods and ceremonies for a blissful and prosperous new year. In China, people eat chūnbǐng on this day.
In the lunisolar calendar, New Year's Day might be before or after Lichun. A year without Lichun is called 無春年. 無春年 is also known as 寡婦年 in northern China or 盲年 in southern China. Marriage is believed to be unlucky in a year without Lichun.
In the Republic of China, Lichun has been Farmer's Day since 1941.
In Singapore, there is a practice of depositing money into bank accounts on Lichun which many believe will bring them good fortune.

In popular culture

Lichun was frequently mentioned in literature. The most famous reference is probably Du Fu's shi, simply titled Lìchūn :
This poem tells us about the traditional custom of eating chūnbǐng on this day.