Awakening of Insects 驚蟄

What it marks

Thunder wakes the creatures that slept through winter. One of the most vivid terms in the calendar, and the one most tied to folk ritual — this is when the 打小人 "beating the petty person" rites are performed in Hong Kong and Guangdong.

Traditionally favours

• clearing obstacles
• dealing with gossip
• starting movement
• spring cleaning

Associated with things stirring — including trouble. A traditional moment for cutting off petty interference before it grows.

These are the tradition’s tendencies, not guarantees — and a solar term describes a stretch of weeks, so for a specific day check today’s almanac, which reads the day’s own 宜 and 忌.