May 5 marks Start of Summer, the seventh solar term of the year. How do Suzhou residents celebrate the day?
Participate in egg competitions
Eggs are a common way to celebrate the occasion among Suzhou residents . Aside from eating salted duck eggs, children customarily put an egg into a knitted bag and hang it on their neck as they participate in egg competitions with others.
Children participate in egg competitions to celebrate the Start of Summer. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
Eating black glutinous rice
Eating black glutinous rice is a popular tradition on the first day of Start of Summer. The rice is usually soft and fragrant.
A bowl of black glutinous rice. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
Tasting the three delicacies
Sanxian, or the three delicacies, is divided into three categories: disanxian (地三鲜, broad bean, amaranth and cucumber), shusanxian (树三鲜, cherry, loquat and apricot) and shuisanxian (水三鲜, yellow croaker, shrimp and hilsa herring).
Broad beans are a spring delicacy popular among Suzhou residents. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
