立夏是中國傳統二十四節氣（the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms）中的第七個節氣，标志着由春入夏的季節變遷。在此期間，全國大部分地區，溫度迅速上升。

此前的内容中，咱們學過“立春”的英語表達是Start of Spring。那相應的，“立夏”就是Start of Summer啦。

立夏都有哪些習俗呢？一起來看看吧。

迎夏儀式

“立夏”節氣确立于戰國末期。作為小麥、油菜等夏收作物收獲的關鍵時期，中國各朝各代對“立夏”十分重視，會通過舉辦祭祀慶典來祈求豐收。

2018年5月5日，身着古裝的市民參加“送春迎夏”古禮儀式 來源：新華社

In the Zhou Dynasty (1050-221 BC), the emperor led his officials to stage a welcome rite for the Start of Summer and encouraged his residents to seize the key time to do farm work. It's said that most of the decorations were arranged in the color red, including the emperor and the officials' dress, the jade pendants, the horses and the flags, in order to show respect to the god of summer and pray for a good harvest.

在周朝，帝王會率領群臣舉行迎夏儀式，并激勵他的子民們抓住關鍵時期幹農活。據說慶典儀式多以朱色裝飾，帝王和文武百官着朱色禮服，戴朱色玉佩，乘朱色馬匹，舉朱色旗幟，恭敬虔誠，向夏神祈求豐收。

立夏與雞蛋

在古代中國，人們相信圓圓的雞蛋象征着幸福的生活。立夏吃雞蛋是一種對健康、幸福的祈願。

They put leftover tea into boiled water together with eggs and the original "tea egg" was created. Later people improved cooking methods and added spices to the eggs to make them taste delicious. Today tea egg has become a traditional snack in China.

人們把用剩的茶葉和雞蛋放在一起煮熟，這就做出了最初的“茶葉蛋”。後來人們改進了烹調方式，加入香料使雞蛋更加美味。如今茶葉蛋已成為中國的一種傳統小吃。

雞蛋也是一種有趣的裝飾。俗話說：立夏胸挂蛋，孩子不疰（zhù）夏。“疰夏”指小兒夏季發熱的病。立夏節氣，家長會準備一個小編織袋，把雞蛋裝進去挂在孩子胸前，以求保佑孩子身體健康。

除此之外，雞蛋還可以用來開展娛樂活動，比如“鬥蛋”。

河北某幼兒園的小朋友展示手繪的彩蛋 圖片來源：新華社

When at school, children gather together to play egg competitions by colliding each other's eggs in pairs and the one whose egg is not broken wins.

在學校裡，孩子們聚在一起玩“鬥蛋”遊戲，即用自己的蛋與他人的蛋碰撞，蛋沒破即取得勝利。

稱體重

“立夏稱體重”的傳統源自三國時期，據說立夏稱體重可以讓人不畏夏日炎熱，保持健康。直到今天，這個習俗在中國南方地區依然十分流行。

江西某幼兒園老師正用傳統方法給孩子稱重 圖片來源：新華社

這天，人們會挂起一杆大秤，秤鈎懸上一條凳子，老人和孩子們輪流坐上去稱重。司秤人一面打秤花，一面說吉祥話。

After lunch on the day of Start of Summer, people would suspend a stool. The young and old took turns to get weighed while the person calculating the weight would offer good wishes and auspicious words. It is said those who were weighed would stay healthy in the hot summer.

suspend: 懸挂

auspicious：吉利的；有前途的

養心

根據中醫理論，立夏是養心的關鍵時期。夏季高溫易引起情緒焦躁，食療可起到不俗的效果。

When the weather grows hotter, dampness and heat can affect human health. Food rich in vitamins and cool in nature is highly recommended. Vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato, watercress and celery and fruits that include watermelon, pear and strawberry are top recommendations.

天氣越來越熱，濕熱會影響人們的身體健康。這時建議食用富含維生素和性涼的食物，黃瓜、西紅柿、水田芥、芹菜、西瓜、梨、草莓等果蔬都是首選。

豔陽高照，暑氣已啟程

大家在給衣服“瘦身”的時候

切記不可貪涼哦

編輯：唐曉敏

參考：百度百科 China Daily

本文及音頻為中國日報雙語微信原創，未經授權不得轉載

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