Today,
We have welcomed the solar term that holds our longing.
The Three Hous of Qingming
In the first period, the paulownia trees begin to bloom.
Paulownia, referring to the paulownia flower.
Bai Juyi’s poem “Paulownia Flowers” reads:
“Spring has its regular season; at Qingming, the paulownia trees begin to bloom.”
The second hou: field mice turn into quails.
Quail refers to small birds of the quail family.
The field mice, driven back into their burrows by the intensifying heat of the blazing sun,
Birds that favor yang energy have begun to emerge and become active.
At this time, yin energy lies hidden while yang energy gradually grows stronger.
The third hou: the rainbow begins to appear.
Rainfall increases during the Qingming Festival.
The rainbow appeared as well.
The “Collection of Explanations for the Seventy-two Seasonal Divisions of the Monthly Ordinances” states that…
Rainbow, pronounced "hong"
The qi of the convergence of yin and yang—when it is purely yin or purely yang, there is none.
When the clouds are thin and let the sun shine through, or when sunlight pierces the rain’s shadow, a rainbow appears.

April’s Qingming Festival, spring returns to the land.
A scene brimming with vitality.
It’s the perfect time for a picnic.
Plant melons and sow beans.
With the awakening of spring, all things are clear and bright.
This is precisely the optimal time for spring plowing and sowing.
“Around the Qingming Festival, sow melons and beans.”