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转眼2016年过了大半，夏至都到啦！ 机智如你，一定知道夏至的日照最长，但天气是最热吗、古人怎么过夏至、为何太阳下立杆不见影、夏至该吃啥？ 更多关于夏至的趣闻小常识，一起来瞅瞅~ The traditional Chinese lunar calendar(中国农历) divides the year into 24 solar terms（24节气）. Summer Solstice, (夏至), the 10th solar term of the year, begins on June 21 this year and ends on July 5. At this time, much of the northern hemisphere receives the most hours of daylight, but it does not bring the hottest temperatures which will come only 20 to 30 days later. In China, the 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural production. But the solar term culture is still useful today to guide people's lives through eating special foods, performing cultural ceremonies and even healthy living tips that correspond with each solar term. The following are 6 things you might not know about Summer Solstice.
On the Summer Solstice itself, daylight lasts the longest for the whole year in the northern hemisphere. After this day, daylight hours get shorter and shorter and temperatures become higher in the northern hemisphere. How long is the longest day in China? According to the expert Yan Jiarong, the entire day in Mohe in Helongjiang province, located in the northernmost tip of China, lasts nearly 17 hours when you include dawn, twilight（暮光）and its afterglow（余晖，夕照）. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora （极光）in Mohe, 'the sleepless town of China'.
Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty (260BC-220), when the Mid-autumn Festival （中秋节）and the Double Ninth Festival （重阳节） were not as important as they are today, the Summer Solstice was already celebrated. Before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people even had a one-day holiday on Summer Solstice. According to Song Dynasty (960-1279) records, officials could have three days off during the Summer Solstice. To celebrate Summer Solstice, women gave colored fans and sachets （[s???e?]彩扇与香囊）to each other. Fans could help them cool down and the sachets could drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet.
Hani autonomous county （自治州） of Mojiang, southwest China's Yunnan province is located on the northern tropic （北回归线）. Every year on the Summer Solstice, the sun sits directly over the Tropic of Cancer and returns from north to south. Then, the amazing phenomenon known as 'upright pole with no shadows' （“立竿无影”）occurs. The Hani people revere [ri'vi?] （敬畏，尊崇） the sun and have always had a close bond with it. They welcome the turn-around of the sun and offer sacrifices to it. 吃夏至面
There is a saying in Shandong province which goes, 'eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice(冬至饺子夏至面).' People in different areas of Shandong province eat chilled noodles 凉面 on this day. Other people around China, including those in Beijing, also have a tradition of eating noodles. 浙江赛龙舟 Due to the local climate, Dragon boat races have been held on the Summer Solstice day in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province rather than on Dragon Boat Festival since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. This tradition is still in practice today, with all the attendant excitement. In Chinese, an idiom '杯弓蛇影' is related to Summer Solstice. According to the records of Fengsutong (《风俗通》, a book about Chinese customs), written by Ying Shao from the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD25-220), a man named Du Xuan attended a banquet on Summer Solstice, where he mistook the shadow of a bow in his cup for a snake and he had to drink it out of fear. After the banquet, he felt chest pains and a bellyache （腹痛） and couldn't recover even after seeing many doctors. Finally, he found he had mistaken the shadow of a red crossbow on the wall for a snake in his cup and recovered. Later, people used this idiom to refer to people who are suspicious and frighten themselves. 夏至后天气渐热，双语君提醒大家多食果蔬，清淡饮食，不要贪凉哦~ 24节气说法 The 24 Solar Term Spring 立春 Spring begins 雨水 The rains 惊蛰 Insects awaken 春分 Vernal equinox 清明 Clear and bright 谷雨 Grain rain Summer 立夏 Summer begins 小满 Grain buds 芒种 Grain in ear 夏至 Summer solstice 小暑 Slight heat 大暑 Great heat Autumn 立秋 Autumn begins 处暑 Stopping the heat 白露 White dews 秋分 Autumnal equinox 寒露 Cold dews 霜降 Hoar-frost falls Winter 立冬 Winter begins 小雪 Light snow 大雪 Heavy snow 冬至 Winter solstice 小寒 Slight cold 大寒 Great cold （编辑：左卓 吴非<实习>） 中国日报网双语新闻 （ID:chinadaily_mobile） 为您的英语保鲜 |
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