Why does Suzhou beginning of autumn eat watermelon?

Just after beginning of autumn, I remembered the custom of eating melons in beginning of autumn. In fact, when we arrive in early autumn, the weather will get cold and watermelons will fall from the market. The sweetness and quality are not as good as those in Dafu. Why do you want to eat watermelon at this time?

Watermelon was first introduced into the Central Plains from the Western Regions in the Song Dynasty. Around beginning of autumn, the Western Regions entered the watermelon picking period, so eating melons in beginning of autumn was an early adopter.

According to "Baner Qiuyuzhai Essay", women in the western regions choose to touch melons in the fields at the beginning of autumn night, which is called "touching autumn". It may be related to the shape of watermelon like a pregnant woman's stomach. Melon has a son, which symbolizes having a son.

In the custom of China, "melon" is always closely related to reproduction.

It is said that ripe melons can be touched in autumn, which indicates that girls can find good husbands and women can have more sons.

In order to ensure a good touch of melons, melons are generally placed in a certain position during the day and women are allowed to "touch" at night. At this time, "touching the autumn" is like a divination activity.

With the expansion of watermelon planting, people in the city began to eat watermelon in early autumn.

Today, northerners still call beginning of autumn eating melons "touching the autumn".