冬至大如年，今日 “冬至” | 英子双语说节气 / 开普饭

冬

至

节气

冬至大如年，数九过寒冬

今天你吃饺子了吗?

今天就是冬至了，冬至是二十四节气中的第二十二个节气，也是中国古代最早制订出的一个节气。这一天北半球昼最短夜最长，在中国农历中非常重要，是中华民族的传统节日。

There was a saying that went in ancient China, 'The Winter Solstice is as significant as the Spring Festival.'

中国自从古代就对冬至十分重视，素有'冬至大如年'这样的说法。那么，你知道冬至的英文怎么说吗？

solstice 他的意思是：the time of either the longest day in the year (about June 22) or the shortest day in the year (about December 22)”。一年中最长的一天（大约6月22日）或是一年中最短的一天（大约12月22日）。因此，这个单词的用法就很局限，基本就用来表示冬至：Winter Solstice，夏至：Summer Solstice。

在冬至这一天，北半球白昼最短，夜晚最长。南半球则正好相反。

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the day with the shortest amount of daylight and our longest night of the year. While it's winter for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, people in the Southern Hemisphere experience it as theirSummer Solstice with the longest stretch of daylight.

对北半球的人来说，冬至这天白昼最短夜最长。就在北半球经历寒冬时，南半球的人们在这一天迎来白昼最长的夏至。

吃饺子、汤圆

“冬至到，吃水饺。”据说，冬至吃水饺的习俗是为纪念“医圣”张仲景。行医途中，他见沿途乡民饥寒交迫，耳生冻疮，便用羊肉等材料制成耳朵形状的“娇耳”，送给人们驱寒。这便是“饺子”的由来。

China has developed a unique festive food culture throughout the years. Eating dumplings is a common folk custom for many Chinese on the day of Winter Solstice, especially those living in the north.

经过数千年的发展，中国形成了独特的节令饮食文化。而吃饺子是多数中国人冬至的习俗，特别是在北方地区。

In south China such as Shanghai, people eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour to celebrate Winter Solstice。

上海等地人们食用汤圆来庆祝节日。

Eating nuts 坚果类

When midwinter comes, vital movement begins to decline and calm down. In this period, eating an appropriate amount of nuts, such as peanuts, walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, is good for one's body. Traditional Chinese medical science teaches that the quality of a nut is tepidity and most nuts have the function of nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the brain and heart。

冬天时户外活动减少，在这段时期，吃一些诸如花生、核桃、栗子等坚果类食物对身体大有好处。坚果类食物有养肾强心脑的功能。

冬至吃馄饨

People in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, are accustomed to eating wontons in midwinter. According to legend, during the midwinter feast 2,500 years ago, the King of Wu (one of the states during the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period) was disgusted with all kinds of costly foods and wanted to eat something different. Then, the beauty Xishi came into the kitchen to make 'wontons' to honor the king's wish. He ate a lot and liked the food very much. To commemorate Xishi, the people of Suzhou made wontons the official food to celebrate the festival。

苏州人在这天吃馄饨。传说2500年前，吴王吃腻了山珍海味，想尝试些不同的。于是美女西施为吴王准备的就是馄饨。吴王非常喜欢。为了纪念西施，苏州百姓就把馄饨作为冬至这天必吃的食物。

喝羊肉汤

羊肉性温，味甘，具有温补气血的功效，是冬季进补的佳品。在宁夏回族自治区的银川地区，人们有冬至日喝羊肉粉汤的习俗。

On that day, it is customary for people there to eat mutton and vermicelli soup and soup dumplings. They give the midwinter soup a strange name: 'brain'，and share it with their neighbors.

在这天，人们有喝羊肉粉汤、吃汤饺的风俗。老百姓给这种冬至喝的汤起了一个奇怪的名字——“头脑”，并把它们分给左邻右舍。