立夏是中国传统二十四节气（the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms）中的第七个节气，标志着由春入夏的季节变迁。在此期间，全国大部分地区，温度迅速上升。

此前的内容中，咱们学过“立春”的英语表达是Start of Spring。那相应的，“立夏”就是Start of Summer啦。

立夏都有哪些习俗呢？一起来看看吧。

“立夏”节气确立于战国末期。作为小麦、油菜等夏收作物收获的关键时期，中国各朝各代对“立夏”十分重视，会通过举办祭祀庆典来祈求丰收。

2018年5月5日，身着古装的市民参加“送春迎夏”古礼仪式  来源：新华社

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，帝王会率领群臣举行迎夏仪式，并激励他的子民们抓住关键时期干农活。据说庆典仪式多以朱色装饰，帝王和文武百官着朱色礼服，戴朱色玉佩，乘朱色马匹，举朱色旗帜，恭敬虔诚，向夏神祈求丰收。

在古代中国，人们相信圆圆的鸡蛋象征着幸福的生活。立夏吃鸡蛋是一种对健康、幸福的祈愿。

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.

人们把用剩的茶叶和鸡蛋放在一起煮熟，这就做出了最初的“茶叶蛋”。后来人们改进了烹调方式，加入香料使鸡蛋更加美味。如今茶叶蛋已成为中国的一种传统小吃。

鸡蛋也是一种有趣的装饰。俗话说：立夏胸挂蛋，孩子不疰（zhù）夏。“疰夏”指小儿夏季发热的病。立夏节气，家长会准备一个小编织袋，把鸡蛋装进去挂在孩子胸前，以求保佑孩子身体健康。

除此之外，鸡蛋还可以用来开展娱乐活动，比如“斗蛋”。

　河北某幼儿园的小朋友展示手绘的彩蛋 图片来源：新华社

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.

在学校里，孩子们聚在一起玩“斗蛋”游戏，即用自己的蛋与他人的蛋碰撞，蛋没破即取得胜利。

 “立夏称体重”的传统源自三国时期，据说立夏称体重可以让人不畏夏日炎热，保持健康。直到今天，这个习俗在中国南方地区依然十分流行。

江西某幼儿园老师正用传统方法给孩子称重 图片来源：新华社

这天，人们会挂起一杆大秤，秤钩悬上一条凳子，老人和孩子们轮流坐上去称重。司秤人一面打秤花，一面说吉祥话。

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: 悬挂

auspicious：吉利的；有前途的

根据中医理论，立夏是养心的关键时期。夏季高温易引起情绪焦躁，食疗可起到不俗的效果。

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.

天气越来越热，湿热会影响人们的身体健康。这时建议食用富含维生素和性凉的食物，黄瓜、西红柿、水田芥、芹菜、西瓜、梨、草莓等果蔬都是首选。

文章来源：中国日报双语新闻