说春分
About Spring Equinox
春分，是中国传统二十四节气中的第四个节气。
The Spring Equinox is the fourth of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms.
春分的“分”有两个含义，一个是“昼夜平分”，在春分这天，太阳直射赤道，昼夜等长。
The Spring Equinox's "fen" has two meanings, one is "equinox of day and night”;on the day of the Spring Equinox, the sun shines directly on the equator so that day and night are of the same length.
春分过后，太阳直射点向北移动，导致北半球白昼逐渐变长。
After the Spring Equinox, the direct point of the sun moves northward, resulting in gradually longer day time in the northern hemisphere.
equinox [ˈiːkwɪˌnɒks] 昼夜平分时/日，指春分或秋分
equator [ɪˈkweɪtə] 赤道
hemisphere [ˈhemɪsfɪə]：半球
春分的另一个含义是“季节平分”，春分日正好平分了春季。
Another meaning of the Spring Equinox is "seasonal equinox",and the day divides the spring in half on average.
关于春分的传统习俗
The traditional customs about the Spring Equinox
一.燕归来
Swallow’s Return
古人将春分节气的十五天划分为三部分，称为三“候”，每个部分为五天。
Ancient Chinese divide the fifteen-day solar term of the Spring Equinox into three parts, called "hou", each of which is five days.
古代便有“一候玄鸟至，二候雷乃发，三候闪电生”的俗语。这种划分也揭示了春分的气候特点。
As the old saying goes, swallows fly back to the north in the first hou; thunder rumbles in the second hou; lightning occurs frequently in the third hou, which vividly reveals the climate feature during the Spring Equinox.
二.立鸡蛋
Erecting eggs
“立鸡蛋”这项具有千年历史的活动在春分也十分盛行。
The activity of "standing eggs", which has a history of a thousand years, is also very popular in the Spring Equinox.
人们认为，如果有人能将鸡蛋竖立起来，他将会在未来交好运。
It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.
在这一天，地球的地轴与地球绕太阳公转的轨道平面处于相对平衡的状态，这使得鸡蛋更容易被立起来。
On this day the axis of the earth is relatively balanced against the orbital plane of the earth’s rotation around the sun, which makes it easier to erect an egg.
erect [ɪˈrɛkt] （使）竖立
axis [ˈæksɪs]：轴
orbital [ˈɔːbɪtl]：轨道的
plane：平面
三.吃春菜
Eating seasonal vegetables
在一些地区，春分期间吃应季时蔬是普遍的习俗。人们相信食用应季的果蔬，有助于保持健康，带来好运。
In some areas, it is a common custom to eat seasonal vegetables during the Spring Equinox. It is believed that eating seasonal foods is helpful to stay healthy and bring good luck.
seasonal [ˈsiːzənəl] 季节性的，应季的
四.祭太阳神
Sacrificing to the sun god
春分期间，北京当地人有祭祀“太阳神”的传统，被称为“中和节”。用小麦和糖制作的“太阳糕”，则是主要贡品。
During the period of the Spring Equinox, Beijing locals have a tradition of offering sacrifices to the "sun god", called the "Zhonghe Festival". And the "sun cake" made of wheat and sugar is the main tribute.
sacrifice [ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs] 祭祀，祭品
tribute [ˈtrɪbjuːt] 贡品，礼物
五.犒劳耕牛
Rewarding farm cattle
春分伊始，农人开始一年的劳作之前，会犒劳重要的“劳动力”——耕牛，以示奖赏。犒劳耕牛的习俗在长江下游的南部地区十分常见。
At the beginning of the Spring Equinox, before a year’s farm work, farmers will reward the important “labour”—farm cattle. The custom is common in the southern part of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
reward [rɪˈwɔːd] 奖赏，酬谢
他们会用糯米团奖励耕牛，以表达他们的感激之情。
They will reward cattle with sticky rice balls to express their gratefulness.
与此同时，人们也会给鸟儿准备贡品，感谢它们带来农耕的信号，请求它们在收获季不要啄食谷物。
Meanwhile, people will prepare offerings for the birds, to thank them for bringing farming signals, and ask them not to eat grain during the harvest season.
offering [ˈɒfərɪŋ] 祭品，贡品
2020年3月20日/春分/深圳
The Spring Equinox, March 20, 2020. Shenzhen.
