轉(zhuǎn)眼2016年過(guò)了大半，夏至都到啦！
機(jī)智如你，一定知道夏至的日照最長(zhǎng)，但天氣是最熱嗎、古人怎么過(guò)夏至、為何太陽(yáng)下立桿不見(jiàn)影、夏至該吃啥？
更多關(guān)于夏至的趣聞小常識(shí)，一起來(lái)瞅瞅~
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar(中國(guó)農(nóng)歷) divides the year into 24 solar terms（24節(jié)氣）. 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.
一年中最長(zhǎng)的一天，一起來(lái)看次極光怎么樣？
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（余暉，夕照）. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora （極光）in Mohe, 'the sleepless town of China'.
所以古代夏至日一般是放假的！放假的！放假的！
（這傳統(tǒng)為啥沒(méi)有延續(xù)下來(lái)……）
Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty (260BC-220), when the Mid-autumn Festival （中秋節(jié)）and the Double Ninth Festival （重陽(yáng)節(jié)） 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?]彩扇與香囊）to each other. Fans could help them cool down and the sachets could drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet.
太陽(yáng)圍著轉(zhuǎn)，“立桿不見(jiàn)影”~
Hani autonomous county （自治州） of Mojiang, southwest China's Yunnan province is located on the northern tropic （北回歸線）. 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' （“立竿無(wú)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
冬至餃子夏至面~來(lái)碗涼面吧！
There is a saying in Shandong province which goes, 'eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice(冬至餃子夏至面).' People in different areas of Shandong province eat chilled noodles 涼面 on this day. Other people around China, including those in Beijing, also have a tradition of eating noodles.
浙江賽龍舟
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 (《風(fēng)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.
夏至后天氣漸熱，雙語(yǔ)君提醒大家多食果蔬，清淡飲食，不要貪涼哦~
24節(jié)氣說(shuō)法 The 24 Solar Term
Spring
立春 Spring begins
雨水 The rains
驚蟄 Insects awaken
春分 Vernal equinox
清明 Clear and bright
谷雨 Grain rain
Summer
立夏 Summer begins
小滿 Grain buds
芒種 Grain in ear
夏至 Summer solstice
小暑 Slight heat
大暑 Great heat
Autumn
立秋 Autumn begins
處暑 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
（編輯：左卓 吳非<實(shí)習(xí)>）
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