春分麥起身 一刻值千金
《春分麥起身 一刻值千金》
Spring Equinox: Wheat Grows Tall, and Every Second Is Worth Its Value in Gold
春分，二十四節氣之一，是春季第四個重要節氣。
Spring Equinox, One of the 24 Solar Terms, Is the Fourth Important Solar Term in Spring.
春分一般在3月20日或21日。這一天陽光直射赤道，晝夜幾乎相等，故稱“春分”。其後陽光直射位置逐漸北移，北半球開始晝長夜短。在中國，除青藏高原、東北、西北和華北北部地區外，都將進入明媚的春天。
Spring equinox usually falls on March 20 or 21, when the sun shines directly on the equator, and the length of day and night is almost the same, so it’s called ‘equinox’. After that, the sun’s position gradually moves northward, and days begin to grow longer and nights become shorter in the northern hemisphere. Except for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the northeast, the northwest and the northern part of North China, the most parts of China will enter a bright spring.
按照春分“三候”所説，這一時節，燕子將從南方飛來，下雨時天空便要打雷併發出閃電。這説明春分節氣正是氣溫回暖，雨水充沛的時期，也是農作物春季生長的關鍵時節。農村有句俗語：“春分麥起身，一刻值千金”説的就是這個意思了。冬小麥返青後到了起身期，是最需要水肥、鋤草、防治病蟲害等管理的時候，因而這時如果還沒有進行澆水施肥等農業活動的，就應該抓緊時間了！
As the saying goes, spring equinox brings swallows back from the south, and when it rains, there will be thunder and lightning. The warming of weather of abundant rainfall at this time are critical for the growth of crops. There is a saying in the countryside: “Spring equinox, wheat rises, time is as precious as gold.” Wheat turns green and then grows taller, which is the time to manage water and fertilizer, weeding, pest control and so on. Therefore, we must seize the right time for agricultural activities such as watering and fertilization!
在民間，春分日也有許多有意思的活動和習俗。
There are also many interesting activities and folk customs about the spring equinox.
“豎蛋”。 選擇一個光滑勻稱、剛生下四五天的新鮮雞蛋，輕手輕腳地在桌子上把它豎起來。4000年前，中華民族先民就開始以此慶賀春天的來臨 ，“春分到，蛋兒俏”的説法流傳至今。
‘Vertical egg’. Choose a smooth, well proportioned, fresh egg that is just four or five days old and set it up on the table. About 4,000 years ago, our ancestors stared this tradition to celebrate the coming of spring. The saying that when the equinox arrives, eggs are nice goes back to this day.
“放風箏”。春分期間還是孩子們放風箏的好時候，尤其是春分當天，甚至大人們也參與，相互競爭看哪個的放得高。
‘Flying kites’. It’s also a happy time for children to fly kites, especially on the day of the equinox. Even adults participate in the competition to see which one flies higher.
“春祭”。春分後祭拜祖先規模很大，隊伍往往達幾百甚至上千人。掃墓前先要在祠堂舉行隆重的祭祖儀式，殺豬、宰羊，請鼓手吹奏，由禮生念祭文，帶引行三獻禮。
‘Rites for ancestor-worship in spring’. The spring equinox ushers in the time of ancestor worship, and the number of people often reaches hundreds or even thousands. Before the tomb sweeping, a grand ancestor worship ceremony should be held in the ancestral hall in which pigs and sheep are killed. The drummer is requested to play and the master of ceremonies will recite the sacrifice and lead the three offerings.
此外，春分也是人們調養身體的大好時機，應多食用蔬菜及山野菜等。這時晝夜溫差較大，雨水較多，仍要注意保暖。
In addition, the equinox is also a good time for people to work on improving their fitness. They should eat more vegetables and wild vegetables. At this time, the temperature difference between day and night is large and there is much rain, so it is still necessary to keep warm.
