Introduction of Grain in Ear(芒种)
“Grain in Ear” means the grains are mature. It happens around June 5 every year whenthe sun reaches the celestial longitude of 75 degrees. During this period, crops likebarley and wheat all get mature and are waiting to be harvested. In Chinese, “Grain inEar” is called Mang Zhong. Mang means grains at the same time busy. It forecasts thefarmer is getting back to the busy field work. It’s the busiest time to seed millet and thedeadline for sowing activities. During this period, areas around middle stream anddownstream of Yangtze River enter the raining season. Sensing the wetness, themantis comes out, the shrike starts to sing and the mockingbird stops tweet.

Grain in Ear, or Mangzhong in Chinese, is the ninth solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 75° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 90°. More often, it refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 75°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around June 5 (June 6 East Asia time) and ends around June 21.

The arrival of Grain in Ear signifies the ripening of awny crops such as wheat. And it is also a busy period for farmers. That can be seen from many farm sayings. One of the sayings is, “Getting busy with farmwork in Grain in Ear,” prevailing in many provinces. Grain in Ear is especially critical for planting rice. There is a saying in Guizhou that goes, “If you don’t plant rice in Grain in Ear, planting will be in vain.”

Traditional Customs
As the flowers withered away, people in old times used to hold ceremony to sacrifice forthe “God of Flowers”, showing their gratitude and their eagerness to see the flowersagain next year. This custom is already long gone and people can only read the scenein some of the ancient novels. In China’s south Anhui province, people steamdumplings with new fresh wheat flour after seeding the paddy rice. They make the flourinto different shapes such as cereals, animals, vegetables and fruits, color them andpray for villagers’ safety.

Healthy Living Tips
The best food to eat during “Grain in Ear” period, as suggested by Chinese doctors, ismulberry. Around two thousand years ago, mulberry had already been considered asroyal food and among the folk, it was called the “Holy Fruit”. It has abundant glucose,cane sugar, Vitamin A, B and C and many mineral substances and is very good forhuman’s heart, liver and kidney.