Vernal Equinox or Spring Equinox is the fourth solar terms in the total twenty-four. It’s the middle of spring and usually on the 20 or 21 of March every year. On this day, the sun directly blazes down the equator, so that day and night is equal in length. Because it’s the middle of spring, the weather is so comfortable and the scenery is beautiful that people are likely to go out for a hiking. It’ s also a good time for crop growing, so the farmers are often busy in this period. 

Eating spring vegetables during the Spring Equinox is a commonly practiced custom in many regions of China. It refers to seasonal vegetables that differ from place to place. The ancient teachings in the Chinese classic, Huangdi Neijing, suggests that people eat seasonal foods to help preserve health and bring good luck.

Standing an egg upright is a popular game across the country during the Spring Equinox. It is an old custom that dates back to 4,000 years ago. People practice this tradition to celebrate the coming of spring. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

This practice is popular in the southern area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. As the Spring Equinox comes, farm work starts and both the farmers and the cattle start to become busy. Farmers will reward cattle with sticky rice balls to express their gratefulness. Meanwhile, people will also make sacrifice to birds, to thank them for bringing signals for farm work and to ask them not to eat grains later in the year.