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Teacher and students make "spring cow" at the Yuezhuang Central Kindergarten in Yiyuan County, east China's Shandong Province, March 17, 2016. "Springcow", made with steamed flour, is a traditional present during the Spring Equinox, the fourth solar term on the Chinese lunar calendar, conveying the wishes for good harvest. (Xinhua/ZhaoDongshan)
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. The Spring Equinox (Chinese: 春分)，as the fourth term of the year, signals the equal length of the day and night time. On the day of the Spring Equinox, sun is directly above the equator. After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in gradually longer day time in the Northern Hemisphere and longer night in the Southern Hemisphere.
Clear and Bright (Chinese: 清明), the 5th solar term, is the only one whose first day is also a traditional Chinese festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day. The words “clear” and “bright” describe the weather during this period. Temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases, making it a crucial time for plowing and sowing in the spring.
