Lixia, or the Start of Summer, falls on May 5 this year. It is the 7th solar term according to the traditional Chinese calendar that divides a year into 24 solar terms. On this day, the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 45 degrees.

Photo: Xinhua

When summer begins, the temperature gets higher, and everything grows. In ancient times, the Start of Summer was an important day as it told a lot about the harvest that year. Emperors would take a trip outside the palace, to visit local officials and encourage farmers to work harder.

This year, how about celebrating the day in the traditional Chinese way?

- Have a summer egg

One of the must-haves on this day is the summer egg. When summer begins, people will usually get tired easily. It was believed that putting a boiled egg into a knitted pocket and hanging it on the children's chests will help prevent summer illnesses.

- Join an egg competition

On this day, children hold an "egg competition". In the competition, they let the pointed end of an egg collide with their rival's, and those whose egg shells are broken lose the game.

What if you didn't win? No worries, you can always eat the egg. Eating summer eggs are seen as a prayer for good health, too.

- Taste fresh foods

In areas along the Yangtze River, people have a custom of tasting fresh vegetables and fruits that are in season around the Start of Summer. Broad beans, cherries, plums and fishes are dishes you can't miss on this day.

People also make the "Start of Summer rice", which is rice cooked with red beans, yellow beans, green beans, and the Chinese peas. Sticky rice cooked with peas, salted bacon and bamboo shoots is another type of the "Start of Summer rice" popular in the eastern regions.