传统二十四节气之“春分”CHUN  FEN

  春分是中国二十四解其中第四个节气。一般在3月20或21日。

这一天阳光直射赤道，昼夜几乎相等，故称“春分”。其后，阳光直射位置逐渐北移，北半球开始昼长夜短。

Spring Equinox is the fourth of the 24 solar terms.It usually falls on March 20 or 21.when the sun shines directly on the equator, and the length of day and night is almost the same, so it's called "equinox" After that, the sun' s position gradually moves northward and days begin to grow longer and nights become shorter in the northern hemisphere.

  春分以后太阳继续向北半球移动，气温持续上升。在中国大部分区域日均气温为0°以上。气温回暖，雨水充沛，农作物进入春季生长的关键时刻。

After this day, the sun continues to move to the north hemisphere and the temperature continues to rise.

Daily average temperature in most areas in China reaches 0 degree

Celsius above.The warm weather and abundant rainfall at this time are critical for the growth of crops.

竖鸡蛋 Egg-standing games

  春分时节，中国民间有许多有趣的传统。“春分竖蛋”便是其中之一。有人认为春分是竖鸡蛋的最佳时机，这天地球地轴与地球绕太阳公转的轨道平面正好属于相对平衡的状态，因此这天鸡蛋很容易竖起来。

There are many interesting activities and folk customs about Spring Equinox. One of them is to erect eggs.Some people believe that Spring Equinox is the best time to practice this game because on this day the axis of the earth relatively balanced against the orbital plane of the earth's rotation around the sun, which makes it easier to make an egg stand.

“春分到，蛋儿俏”的说法流传至今。人们相信如果能将鸡蛋竖起来将来会好运连连。

The saying that "when Spring Equinox arrives, eggs are nice" is still alive this day.It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

放风筝 Flying kites

  春分也是放风筝的好时节。在古代，医疗条件差，把病情写在纸风筝上，当风筝飞到空中时，人们会剪短绳子让风筝飘走象征祛病消灾。后来放风筝发展成一种深受欢迎的春季活动。春分时节，人们在风筝上写下祝福，希望天宫赐福。

Flying kites is another interesting activity on Spring Equinox.

In ancient times, people did not have good medical resources. So to pray for health, they wrote their medical issue on paper kite. When the kite was in the air, people would cut off the string to let the kite float away symbolizing the flying away of diseases.Later flying kites developed into a popular game in spring.On Spring Equinox, people write a blessing on the kite hoping that the gods in the sky would see it and bless them.

吃春菜 Eating spring vegetables

  春分时吃春菜是中国许多地区的习俗。春菜是指季节性蔬菜，不同的地方不同。中国古典《黄帝内经》中的古老教义建议人们吃季节性食物有助于保持健康，带来好运。

Eating spring vegetables during the Spring Equinox is a commonly practiced custom in many regions of China. "Spring vegetables" refers to seasonal vegetables that differ from place to place. The ancient teachings in the Chinese classic, Huangdi Neijing, suggests that people eat seasonal foods to help preserve health and bring good luck.

祭祀大明神 Sacrifice to the Sun god

  春分节气，北京当地人的一项古老传统是祭大明神。这一传统被称为“中和节”。由小麦和糖制成的圆形饼是主要的祭品。

During the Spring Equinox, an old traditional practiced by Beijing locals is offering sacrifices to the Sun god. This tradition is called "Zhonghe Festival". The "Sun Cake", a round cake made from wheat and sugar, serves as the main offering

主题词汇

• 节气 solar term

• 标志着 signal

• 昼夜时间相等 equal length of the day and night time

• 赤道 equator

• 南半球/北半球 Southern/Northern Hemisphere

• tute the axis of the earth

• 平衡的 balanced

• 燕子北飞 swallows fly north

•立鸡蛋

egg-standing / stand an egg upright

• 放风筝 fly kites

• 吃春菜 eat spring vegetables

• 时令蔬菜 seasonal vegetables