In 2022, will the spring be six-nine or five-nine? What does it mean to be six-nine in the next spring?

The Beginning of Spring is one of the 24 solar terms and the first of them. It also marks the true beginning of the year. Traditionally, the solar term calendar and the Ganzhi calendar divide the year into good and bad years based on the beginning of spring. So, in the spring of 2022, should we play the beginning of the 69th or the end of the 59th? What does it mean to hit the 69th head in the spring of the following year?

Will the Spring Festival of 2022 be the 69th or the 59th?

In spring, hit the sixty-nine head. Because the beginning of spring in 2022 is February 4, which is also the first day of the Liujiu period (the Liujiu period in 2022 is from February 4 to February 12), so the beginning of spring in 2022 is on the first day of the Liujiu period, which means "spring starts at the beginning of the Liujiu period".

What does it mean to hit the six-nine head in the next spring?

1. "Spring starts at the end of the 59th day and the beginning of the 69th day" is a folk proverb, which means that the beginning of spring is either the last day of the 59th day or the first day of the 69th day. If the beginning of spring falls on the last day of the 59th day, it is called "the end of the 59th day of spring"; if the beginning of spring falls on the first day of the 69th day of spring, it is called "the beginning of the 69th day of spring".

2. The so-called "Nine Days" refers to the "Winter Solstice", which is the first day of "One Nine", and the first day of "Six Nine" is the 46th day after the Winter Solstice (including the day of the Winter Solstice). The Beginning of Spring is the third solar term after the Winter Solstice (Winter Solstice, Lesser Cold, Greater Cold), and there are usually 15 days in a solar term. Therefore, the Beginning of Spring is the 46th day after the Winter Solstice (including the day of the Winter Solstice). Therefore, the Beginning of Spring is usually on the first day of Six Nine, that is, "Spring starts at the beginning of Six Nine". But there are exceptions. For example, in 2011 and 2012, the beginning of spring fell on the last day of the 59th day, that is, "spring starts at the end of the 59th day" instead of "spring starts at the beginning of the 69th day".

3. “Beating an ox on the 69th day of spring” comes from the old folk custom of beating an earthen ox on the Spring Equinox to pray for a good harvest. A book introducing the Beginning of Spring records: On the day before the Beginning of Spring, Kaifeng Prefecture would routinely offer the Spring Ox (a clay ox used to usher in spring, sometimes made of reed or paper) to the palace for the purpose of ushering in spring. In Kaifeng and Xiangfu counties, spring oxen would also be placed in front of the government offices. On the day of the beginning of spring, government officials began to celebrate the beginning of spring early in the morning, following the same rituals as the governors of prefectures and counties. Therefore, the Spring Beginning Day is a very lively day. Not only in Kyoto, but also in every place across the country, a grand ceremony to welcome the spring is held.