The Year of the Snake is a year of "two springs", so we have to "hide from spring"? What's going on?

This Year of the Snake is a double spring year , that is, there are two Beginnings of Spring, on the sixth day of the first lunar month and the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The time of the two beginnings of spring in this year of the snake

There are many different opinions on what the year of double spring means. Some say it is auspicious, such as " double spring, double happiness " and " two springs in a year, gold everywhere ". It is believed that the year of double spring is more auspicious, suitable for big weddings, and everything goes smoothly. In particular, the year of the horse after the year of the snake is a "year without spring" and "not suitable for marriage", so those who want to get married should hurry up and get married in the year of the snake.

There are also opinions that this abnormal phenomenon is not good. For example, some people say that a year with two Springs is a " year of loneliness " and " marriage in a year with two Springs will lead to a second marriage " because Spring represents peach blossoms and two Springs mean a second Spring or a second Spring, which implies an unstable marriage. Men and women in love will easily break up and there will be many divorces.

Some statements are even more bizarre, saying that in the year of double spring, more people should " hide from spring ", otherwise they will be unlucky.

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There are too many other opinions to list, but we can see from here that these opinions are conflicting and difficult to unify . So is the Year of the Snake an auspicious year or an unlucky year? Let's analyze it in depth.

The Double Spring Year is just a calendar phenomenon

From the perspective of the calendar, the Chinese lunar calendar is a combination of the yin and yang calendars, and the length of the lunar year varies, with some lasting twelve months and others thirteen months. As a result, the first day of the first lunar month fluctuates around the beginning of spring, resulting in calendar phenomena such as "double spring year" and "no spring year" .

The lunar calendar is a combined lunar and solar calendar, and the months are required to conform to the moon phase cycle, that is, the length of a month is 29 or 30 days, with 12 months and 354 days in a normal year and 13 months and 384 days in a leap year, in order to coordinate the moon phase cycle and the solar cycle of 365.2425 days.

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The Beginning of Spring belongs to the Gregorian calendar. The cycle of 24 solar terms is the same as the sun's orbit cycle of 365.2425 days.

The occurrence of single spring years, double spring years, and no spring years in the lunar calendar are just the result of calendar calculations and have nothing to do with good or bad fortune . To determine the beginning of spring in the lunar calendar, we only need to look at its start and end times.

Because the beginning of spring usually occurs around February 4th in the Gregorian calendar, unless the lunar year starts and ends on February 3rd to 5th, it can usually be determined from the date.

for example:

The Year of the Tiger 2022 is February 1, 2022 - January 21, 2023, which is the Single Spring Year ;

The 2023 Guimao Year of the Rabbit starts and ends on January 22, 2023 - February 9, 2024, which is the Double Spring Year ;

The Year of the Dragon 2024 Jiachen starts and ends on February 10, 2024 - January 28, 2025, and is a year without spring .

Lucky or unlucky

It is the limited cognition of the ancients

The ancients gave special meaning to the year with two or no spring, which was largely influenced by traditional cultural psychology. In ancient times, people's lives were obviously restricted by natural factors. Faced with many unknowns and uncertainties, they were eager to predict the future in various ways. Astronomy was mysterious at that time, and ordinary people did not have detailed knowledge of astronomical calendars. Therefore, people associated calendar phenomena such as solar terms with the good and bad luck of life.

As an ancient agricultural country, China relies on the calendar to guide agricultural production. As the beginning of spring and the first of the 24 solar terms, Lichun is of great significance. Since the Qin Dynasty, China has always regarded Lichun as the beginning of the first month of spring. In ancient times, the emperor would hold a ceremony to welcome the spring at the beginning of spring, personally leading the three dukes, nine ministers, and princes and officials to the eastern suburbs to welcome the spring and pray for a good harvest.

Before the Qin and Han Dynasties, the most important thing in the customs was the Beginning of Spring. Important activities such as worshipping gods and ancestors, praying for good fortune and a good year, exorcising evil spirits and warding off disasters, and getting rid of the old and bringing in the new were all held on the Beginning of Spring and a few days before and after it. This series of festivals not only formed the framework of the New Year's Day festivals in later generations, but also its folk custom function has been preserved to this day. Therefore, when there were two Beginnings of Spring in a year, the ancients would over-interpret it and believe that it was a special sign from heaven, which gave rise to various superstitious sayings.

The Temple of Heaven where the ancients offered sacrifices to the heavens丨Photos copyrighted by the photo library; reprinting and use may lead to copyright disputes

A rational view of the Double Spring Festival

From ancient times to the present, people have always had a simple yearning for a happy life and a good marriage. Facing the unknown of life and fate, people often hope to predict their future and avoid misfortune, which is understandable .

But in fact, a year with two or no spring has no real impact on marriage and fortune. Whether a marriage is happy depends on the emotional foundation, personality compatibility, communication methods and joint efforts of the couple, and has nothing to do with whether the year of marriage is a year with two springs. The development of various affairs in life is also determined by many realistic factors, such as personal ability, degree of effort, external environment, etc., not by whether a year has two springs.

From historical experience, whether it is a year with two springs, a year with no spring, or a year with only one spring, some people have achieved happiness and success, while others have faced difficulties and setbacks. These experiences show that the "attributes" of a year do not determine people's destiny .

The year of double spring in 2025 is just a normal calendar phenomenon. We should view it with scientific and rational thinking, abandon superstitious ideas, and not be swayed by unfounded statements.

We don’t have to rush into marriage just because a certain year is “auspicious”; nor do we have to postpone our wedding and happiness just because a certain year is “unlucky”; there is no need to “hide” from spring. Spring is a romantic and vibrant season. Let us embrace the new year and the New Year with a relaxed attitude!

Planning and production

Author: Sun Zhengfan, PhD in Astronomy, popular science author

Review丨Han Wenbiao, Researcher at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Planning丨He Tong

Editor: He Tong

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin

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