Ancient people seem to have wild imagination of rain. In the English-speaking countries, it's common to hear "rain cats and dogs" or "rains dollars from heaven". While in China, we also welcome the Grain Rain (谷雨) every year.
Grain Rain is the sixth of the 24 Solar Terms (节气) in the traditional Chinese calendar, which starts from April 20 this year. Its name means "rain produces hundreds of grains". For thousands of years, farmers see the solar term as an important guidance (指引) for their activities of agriculture (农业).
As the last solar term in spring, this period sees the temperature rise and rain increase, creating a wonderful environment for the growth of grains. Today, Grain Rain is still relevant to modern agriculture. For farmers, it is a good time to grow things.
It might be less known that a real "grain rain" was recorded in the story of Cang Jie, a four-eyed man who invented the first Chinese words.
Around 2500 BC, in order to keep records more correctly, Cang Jie created a set of words by watching the activities of animals. After the invention, grains started to fall down from the sky.
Though it is hard to know whether the story of Cang Jie is true, the Grain Rain Day became a day to honor Cang Jie as well as the invention of the Chinese language. In Shaanxi and Henan provinces, local people will hold activities to honor him.
Because of the story, April 20 has been chosen as the UN Chinese Language Day since 2010 by the United Nations. It is around the Grain Rain Day, which falls between April 19—21.
