Rain Water 雨水

Rain Water is the second Solar Term of a year, reflecting the rainfall. Around the 19th of February every year, when the Sun travelling to 330°celestial longitude is called as the Rain Water, lasting from the 18th or 19th of February to the 4th or 5th of March, namely from the 6th day of the seventh nine-day to the 2nd day of the ninth nine-day.
雨水是二十四节气中的第二个节气，是反映降水现象的节气。每年的 2 月 19 日前后，太阳到达黄经 330° 为雨水。雨水一般从 2 月 18 日或 19 日开始，到 3 月 4 日或 5 日结束，即从“七九”的第六天到“九九” 的第二天。
With the arrival of the Rain Water, the temperature rises considerably with less snowfall and more rainfall, provides favorable condition for the winter crops’ growth. Therefore, there is a famous saying as the day is increasingly warmer and the rain is busy with bringing about nutrients to the soil and plants. The Rain Water is the best time for spring ploughing and people should grasp this precious opportunity to be engaged with the preparation work for the spring cultivation like seed selection, weeding and applying fertilizer.
随着雨水节气的到来，气温已经明显回升，降雪减少，降雨增多，有利于越冬作物的生长，故有“立春天渐暖，雨水送肥忙"的说法。雨水节气是春耕的最佳时机，人们抓住这个机会开始着手于选种、除草、施肥等春耕春播的准备工作。
On the Rain Water, married daughters should visit their parents with presents like rattan chair with red tape twined on it for instance, to express the auspicious meaning of blessing parents’ happiness and longevity. Another example is to send the stewed pettitoes with soybeans and sea tangle in an earthenware cooking pot, sealed with red paper and string, in order to present their gratitude for the love and care given by their parents.
在雨水这一天，出嫁的女儿纷纷带上礼物回娘家拜望父母。常送的礼物有藤椅，上面缠着红带子，有祝父母福寿绵长的寓意。或者是用砂锅将猪脚、大豆和海带炖在一起，用红纸和红绳封口，以表示对父母的关爱和照顾的感激之情。
La Baobao is a folk custom in the region of Sichuan Province. Baobao means the godfather. Based on the purpose of ensuring the child can grow up in a healthy and stable way, his or her birth parents will find the child's godfather through divination, which has long been regarded as a traditional custom. After confirming the godfather, the birth parents will hold a banquet and light candles, and ask the children to kowtow to the godfather.
“拉保保”是四川一些地区的民间习俗。所谓“保保”就是干爹的意思，为了让孩子健康顺利成长，父母要占卜拜干爹，这一习俗流传至今。拉到干爹后，父母就摆好酒菜，点上蜡烛，让孩子磕头行礼。
During the period after the Rain Water’s arrival, traditional Lantern Festival comes. Ancient Chinese people called the first month of the lunar year as Yuan Yue and the night as Xiao. The 15th of the first lunar month obtains the first full moon night, known as the Lantern Festival or Shangyuan Festival, indicating the beginning of a new year. On that day, all family members get together, eat sweet dumplings, admire the full moon outside and set fireworks.
在雨水节气期间，中国的传统节日元宵节悄然而至。古人将“正月”称为“元月”，将夜晚称作“宵”，农历正月十五是一年中首个月圆之夜，因此称为“元宵节”。元宵节又称“上元节”，有一元复始的寓意。在这一天，家人共聚一堂，品尝元宵，外出赏月，点燃焰火。