【节日文化】立夏是二十四节气中的第7个节气，更是阳历辰月的结束以及巳月的起始；时间点在公历5月5-6日之间，太阳到达黄经45度时。立夏在农历上的日期并不固定，为每年四月初一前后，此因农历是阴阳历。“斗指东南，维为立夏，万物至此皆长大，故名立夏也。”

在天文学上，立夏表示即将告别春天，是夏日天的开始。人们习惯上都把立夏当作是温度明显升高，炎暑将临，雷雨增多，农作物进入旺季生长的一个重要节气。

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Summer (Chinese: 立夏), the 7th term of the year, begins on May 6 and ends on May 20 this year. Start of Summer signals the transition of seasons. On this day, the sun’s rays reach an angle of 45 degrees to the earth The temperature will rise quickly during this period, yet in Northern China weather remains mild, not tropical.

 

Here are five things to learn about the Start of Summer.

The term Start of Summer was originated at the end of the Warring States Period (239BC). Since it is a crucial time for the harvest of summer crops such as wheat and rape, ancient Chinese emperors in different dynasties attached great importance to the Start of Summer. In the Zhou Dynasty (1050-221 BC), the emperor led his officials to stage a welcome rite for the Start of Summer and encouraged his residents to seize the key time to do farm work. It’s said that most of the decorations were arranged in the color red, including the emperor and the officials’ dress, the jade pendants, the horses and the flags, in order to show respect to the god of summer and pray for a good harvest.

 

The custom of weighing people at the Start of Summer originated from the Three Kingdoms Period (220-180) and prevails in South China today. It was believed this practice would bring health and good luck to the people weighted. After lunch on the day of Start of Summer, people would suspend a stool or basket from a beam. The young and old took turns to get weighed while the person calculating the weight would offer good wishes and auspicious words. It is said those who were weighed would stay healthy in the hot summer and those who weren’t would suffer illness.

 

In ancient China, people believed a round egg symbolized a happy life and eating eggs on the day of Start of Summer was a prayer for good health. They put leftover tea into boiled water together with eggs and the original “tea egg” was created. Later people improved cooking methods and added spices to the eggs to make them taste delicious. Today tea egg has become a traditional snack in China.

 

As an old Chinese saying goes “hanging an egg on children’s chest can prevent them from getting summer diseases,” parents will prepare boiled eggs and put them in a knitted bag before hanging them on their child’s chest. When at school, children gather together to play egg competitions by colliding each other’s eggs in pairs and the one whose egg is not broken wins.

 

According to Chinese traditional medicine, Start of Summer is a key time to moisten the heart. When the weather grows hotter dampness and heat can affect human health. Food rich in vitamins and cool in nature is highly recommended. Vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato, watercress and celery and fruits that include watermelon, pear and strawberry are top recommendations.（英文文本 via China Daily）

 

重点解析 Key Phrases/Words

1. tropical adj. 热带的，炎热的

2. Warring States Period 战国时期

3. seize the key time 抓紧关键时间

4. Three Kingdoms Period 三国时期

5. auspicious adj. 有前途的，有希望的，吉利的

6. moisten  v. （使）变得潮湿，变得湿润 

7. dampness n. 湿气，潮湿，湿度

8. watercress n. <植>水田芥，豆瓣菜