涨知识：关于夏至你可能不知道的6件事（双语）

　　The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Summer Solstice, (Chinese: 夏至), the 10th solar term of the year, begins on June 21 this year and ends on July 6.

　　中国传统的农历将一年分为24个节气，其中夏至(Summer Solstice)是一年中第十个节气，今年的夏至从6月21日起，至7月6日结束。

　　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.

　　夏至时节，北半球大部分地区白昼时间达到最长，但是却还不是最热的时候，一般20到30天之后气温才会上升到顶点。

　　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.

　　在中国，24节气是数千年来指导农业生产的金科玉律，而现在节气文化在指导人们的生活方面仍然有用，每个节气都有对应的特殊食物、文化仪式和健康生活提示。

　　The following are 6 things you might not know about Summer Solstice.

　　以下就是关于夏至你可能不知道的6件事：

　　The longest day of the year

　　1、白昼最长时。

　　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.

　　夏至当天，北半球地区白昼时间达到一年中最长。夏至日过后，北半球白昼开始逐渐变短，气温逐渐升高。

　　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 and its afterglow. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora in Mohe, "the sleepless town of China".

　　在中国最长的白天有多长?据专家晏家荣(音)表示，如果将黎明和黄昏都算在白昼时间内的话，中国最北端黑龙江漠河的白昼之间最长达到了约17个小时。夏至也是到“中国不眠城”漠河观赏极光的最好时节。

　　A public holiday in ancient times

　　2、古人夏至节。

　　Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty (260BC-220), when the Mid-autumn Festival and the Double Ninth Festival were not as important as they are today, the Summer Solstice was already celebrated.

　　在古代，夏至是中国一个很重要的节日。早在汉代(前260-220年)中秋节和重阳节还没有现代这般受重视时，夏至就已经被当成一个节日来庆祝了。

　　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.

　　清代(1644年-1911年)时，人们甚至会在夏至日放一天假。据宋代(960年-1279年)的记录显示，官员可以在夏至时放三天假。

　　To celebrate Summer Solstice, women gave colored fans and sachets to each other. Fans could help them cool down and the sachets could drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet.

　　为庆祝夏至，妇女们会互赠彩色扇子和香包。扇子可以清凉解暑，而香包则可以驱蚊增香。

　　Seeing the sun turn around

　　3、看着太阳转。

　　Hani autonomous county of Mojiang, southwest China’s Yunnan province is located on the northern tropic. 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" occurs.

　　云南省的墨江哈尼族自治州位于北回归线上。每年夏至时，太阳直射北回归线，之后逐渐从北向南移动。然后神奇的“立竿无影”的现象就出现了。

　　The Hani people revere the sun and have always had a close bond with it. They welcome the turn-around of the sun and offer sacrifices to it.

　　哈尼族人敬畏太阳，一直都与太阳有着密切的联系。他们会为“太阳转”这种现象举行欢迎仪式，并提供祭祀。

　　Eating noodles

　　4、夏至要吃面。

　　There is a saying in Shandong province which goes, "eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice." People in different areas of Shandong province eat chilled noodles on this day. Other people around China, including those in Beijing, also have a tradition of eating noodles.

　　山东有这样一句俗语“冬至饺子夏至面”。山东不同地区的人们都会在这一天吃凉面。包括北京在内的中国其他地区人们也有在夏至吃面的传统。

　　Dragon boat racing in Zhejiang

　　5、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.

　　由于当地气候原因，自从明清以来，浙江绍兴都是在夏至才赛龙舟，而不是端午。这一传统一直被保留到了今天，所有参加的人都非常兴奋。

　　Summer Solstice idiom

　　6、夏至的成语。

　　In Chinese, an idiom "杯弓蛇影" is related to Summer Solstice.

　　在中国成语中，“杯弓蛇影”就和夏至有关。

　　According to the records of Fengsutong (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.

　　据东汉(25年-220年)应劭所著《风俗通》记载，一个名叫杜宣的人夏至时参加了一场酒宴，将映在酒杯里的弓影误认为蛇，出于恐惧饮下了酒。

　　After the banquet, he felt chest pains and a bellyache 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.

　　酒宴过后，杜宣胸腹疼痛，遍访名医之后也不见好转。最后，他发现原来是自己将墙上红弩的影子误认为是杯中的一条蛇，于是就康复了。后来，人们便用这个成语来形容那些疑神疑鬼、自己吓唬自己的人。