用英文讲好中国传统节气之“立春”！|day|paper|people|spring|中国|传统节气|春分|立春

俗话说，一年之计在于春。立春在传统文化和农业生产中承担着团聚、祈求丰收的美好寓意。

作为二十四节气之首，立春的到来意味着严冬的结束。此时柳萌黄枝，水泛新绿，万物生长的春季已经到来。

因“立”有“开始”之意，所以“立春”的英文表达为Start of Spring，是不是很贴切？

After that everything turns green and becomes full of vigor. People clearly can notice that daytime becomes longer and the weather gets warmer.

立春节后，植物转绿，焕发勃勃生机。人们可以清楚地注意到白天的时间变得更长，天气也愈发温暖了。

Start of Spring：" lifts the curtain of Spring". After everything turns green and full of vigour; people clearly see the daytime becoming longer and the weather becoming warmer.

“立春”拉开了春季的帷幕。此后万物复苏，充满勃勃生机。人们也能明显感觉到白天开始变长，天气回暖。

立春的习俗

Biting the Spring

咬春

The custom of Biting the Spring is a traditional practice observed on the Start of Spring in China.

People eat seasonal foods like spring pancakes, spring rolls or raw radishes to welcome the arrival of spring, dispel winter chill and pray for good health and a prosperous new year.

咬春是中国立春日的一项传统习俗，人们会吃春饼、春卷、生萝卜这类应季食物，以此迎接春天的到来，驱散冬日寒气，祈求身体健康、新年顺遂。

Flying a kite

放风筝

Spring is the best season for kite-flying. A traditional folk activity, it has a history of more than 2,000 years.

It can help build one’s health and prevent diseases. It also has the effect of promoting blood circulation and speeding up metabolism.

A breath of fresh air outside can discharge the foul smell accumulated in winter.

春天是放风筝的最好季节。放风筝是一项民间传统活动，已有2000多年历史。

放风筝可以强健身体、预防疾病。放风筝还有促进血液循环、加速新陈代谢的作用。

在户外呼吸一些新鲜空气也可以排出冬天积累下来的浊气。

Erecting the egg

立鸡蛋

In China, it is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of the Start of Spring, Spring Equinox day and Autumn Equinox day.

It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand on the first day of Start of Spring, he will have good luck in the future .

在中国，据说在立春、春分和秋分第一天可以把鸡蛋竖立起来。据说如果有人能在立春第一天把鸡蛋竖着立起来，那他将来就会有好运气。

据科学家说，竖鸡蛋和时间没有关系，只与力学有关。关键是把鸡蛋的重心移到最低点，握住鸡蛋，尽量让蛋黄下沉。还要挑选已经下了四五天，蛋黄容易下沉的鸡蛋。

Making a Spring Ox

糊春牛

This custom in Shaanxi is practiced right before the Start of Spring. The local government hires some skilled artisans and gathers them to build the frame of an ox out of bamboo strips and the legs with wood.

Then they paste some paper and paint onto it—and, voila! The image of an ox is complete. It is said that if more red and yellow paper is used, then there will be a good harvest that year; if black paper is pasted, then the year will be poor.

When the paper ox is ready, there is a ritual to paint the eyes. After that, people will set up an altar for it and worship it.

陕西的习俗是要在立春之前就开始做春牛。当地政府会雇佣一些熟练的工匠，召集他们用竹条做出牛的骨架、用木头做成牛的腿。

然后他们就会糊上纸、刷上颜色。瞧，一头“牛”就这样做好了!据说如果多用红色和黄色的纸，那年就会有个好收成;如果糊上了黑色的纸，那年的收成就会不好。

当纸牛做好了之后，会有一个“做牛点睛”的仪式。在那之后，人们会给它修个祭坛，敬拜它。

Appreciating plum blossoms

赏梅

Plums blossom from the 12th lunar month to the second month of the next year. The plum blossom, as it fights against the cold, is the most highly regarded. In China, the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum are praised as the four gentlemen of Chinese flowers.