At the beginning of autumn, why should we eat watermelon?

The northwest region has a high latitude, and watermelons have just entered the picking period around the beginning of autumn. Eating watermelons in the beginning of autumn is a kind of early adopter. In some areas of central China, watermelon has entered its last season at the beginning of autumn. Eating watermelon can eliminate the evils of early autumn and nourish the five internal organs.

The custom of eating watermelon and chewing autumn has been around since ancient times. It is said that one year in the Ming Dynasty, many people in Nanjing suffered from dysentery. Some people imitated the story of Cui Xianggong's daughter of Luzhou Prefecture, who ate melons to make the "dysentery" scars heal themselves. They ate more watermelon, and the dysentery was really cured. Therefore, people eat more watermelon on this day of autumn to prevent autumn dryness, which has become a custom over time. "Capital Chronicles" published during the Republic of China records: "On the day before the beginning of autumn, eating watermelon is called eating autumn." It also means to welcome the arrival of autumn.

People believe that eating melons at the beginning of autumn can avoid diarrhea in winter and spring. There is such a record in Zhang Tao's "Jinmen Miscellanies: Customs of the Year" written by Zhang Tao of the Qing Dynasty: "Eating melons at the beginning of autumn is called biting autumn, which can avoid diarrhea." In the Qing Dynasty, people would eat melons, steamed preserved eggplants, etc. the day before the beginning of autumn. The fragrant glutinous soup and other ingredients are left to dry in the yard overnight and eaten on the day of the Beginning of Autumn, in order to clear away the heat and avoid dysentery.