There are many beautiful legends about the Minor Heat among the folks.

It is said that “the sixth day of the sixth lunar month” is the day the Dragon King’s palace dries the dragon robe. Because this day is almost the eve of Minor heat, it’s the hottest day in the year, with the longest sunshine time and the strongest sunlight radiation. As a result, all families choose this “Shai Fu” day to sun their clothes that have been kept in the back of their closet in order to prevent mildew.

There is a saying among the folks that on the sixth day of the sixth month, children should throw their bracelet on to the roof. Legend says that the cowboy and the weaving girl are separated by the Milky Way, only being able to meet each other on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. However if they don’t have a boat to cross the Milky Way, how are they able to meet each other? As a result, every year at the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, most children in China will throw their bracelets during the Dragon Boat Festival on to the roofs, letting magpies take it away, believing that it’ll build a rainbow-like a bridge over the Milky Way, so that the cowboy and the weaving girl are able to meet each other.

It is also said that this day is the day when the“small white dragon” goes back home. The dragon, breaking the law of the gods, was imprisoned by his father on a remote island and lost his freedom. But only on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Dragon King will permit him to go home to visit his mother. The small white dragon worries about his mother very much, so he travels day and night, bringing with him thunders, lights and storms.

According to the ancient people, “Fu” means to “hide from the hot summer”, to hold rituals on the “Fu” day was first held in the Qin Dynasty (221-207BC). The ancient books recorded the ritual showing respects were made to” the Yen Emperor and Zhurong”. The Yen Emperor was said to be the Sun God, and Zhurong was his grandson, the God of Fire . Legend says that Yen allowed the sun give enough light and heat for the corps to grow, so that the human beings need not to worry about their clothing and food any more. People were thankful to him for what he had done, and chose to remember him on the hottest day of the year.