Lixia, or the Start of Summer, is the (seven) of the 24 Chinese solar terms (节气) which falls on May 6 of this year. It symbolizes (象征) the passing from spring summer.
With the heat of summer, plants and crops will begin to grow much (fast). So farmers are always happy to welcome the arrival of Lixia. This is best time of the year to plant early rice in the southern part of China. Chinese has plenty of old sayings are used to warn people not to be lazy during this period of time.
In China, people celebrate the day of Lixia in different ways. For example, in some places people cook "Five-Colored Rice". Usually, it (make) from five kinds of beans (豆)—mung bean, red bean, yellow bean, black bean and green bean. It stands for people's good wishes for a colorful life. People also have the custom of (eat) some different kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. On the day of Lixia, children will wear a bag with an egg around their necks in some areas. This is believed to help keep (they) safe and healthy. Other (tradition) of Lixia include the singing of beautiful folk songs. And people also weigh themselves on Lixia. When the summer (pass), they'll weigh themselves again to see how many pounds they have lost during the hot season.
