(goes是什么意思)(as the saying goes是什么意思)

转眼2016年过了大半，夏至都到啦！

机智如你，一定知道夏至的日照最长，但天气是最热吗、古人怎么过夏至、为何太阳下立杆不见影、夏至该吃啥？

更多关于夏至的趣闻小常识，一起来瞅瞅~

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar(中国农历)divides the year into 24 solar terms（24节气）.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.

1The longest day of the year一年中最长的一天

一年中最长的一天，一起来看次极光怎么样？

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 itsafterglow（余晖，夕照）. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora（极光）in Mohe, "the sleepless town of China".

2A public holiday in ancient times古代的公共假日

所以古代夏至日一般是放假的！放假的！放假的！

（这传统为啥没有延续下来……）

Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty (260BC-220), when the Mid-autumn Festival （中秋节）and the Double Ninth Festival（重阳节） 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 （[sæˈʃeɪ]彩扇与香囊）to each other. Fans could help them cool down and the sachets could drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet.

3Seeing the sun turn around看着太阳转

太阳围着转，“立杆不见影”~

Hani autonomous county（自治州） of Mojiang, southwest China's Yunnan province is located onthe northern tropic （北回归线）. 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" （“立竿无影”）occurs.

The Hani people revere[ri'viə] （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.

4Eating noodles

吃夏至面

冬至饺子夏至面~来碗凉面吧！

There is a saying in Shandong province which goes, "eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice(冬至饺子夏至面)." People in different areas of Shandong province eat chilled noodles凉面 on this day. Other people around China, including those in Beijing, also have a tradition of eating noodles.

5Dragon boat racing in Zhejiang

浙江赛龙舟

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.

6Summer Solstice idiom夏至习语

In Chinese, an idiom "杯弓蛇影" is related to Summer Solstice.

According to the records of Fengsutong(《风俗通》, 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.

夏至后天气渐热，双语君提醒大家多食果蔬，清淡饮食，不要贪凉哦~

>>>>

24节气说法 The 24 Solar Term

► Spring

立春 Spring begins

雨水 The rains

惊蛰 Insects awaken

春分 Vernal equinox

清明 Clear and bright

谷雨 Grain rain

► Summer

立夏 Summer begins

小满 Grain buds

芒种 Grain in ear

夏至 Summer solstice

小暑 Slight heat

大暑 Great heat

► Autumn

立秋 Autumn begins

处暑 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

（编辑：左卓 吴非<实习>）

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