立夏是中国传统二十四节气中的第七个节气，标志着由春入夏的季节变迁，今天我们就来学习一下，“立夏”用英语怎么表达~

1.节气起源

The term Start of Summer was originated at the end of the Warring States Period (239BC). Since it is a key time for the harvest of summer crops, ancient Chinese emperors in different dynasties attached great importance to the Start of Summer.

立夏起源于战国末期(公元前239年)，因为立夏是夏季农作物收获的关键时期，中国历代帝王都非常重视立夏。

“The Beginning of Summer” comes on May 5th or May 6th every year. When the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 45 degrees, it’s the beginning of the summer.

“立夏”于每年5月5日-5月6日到来。这时太阳到达天文经度45°，象征着夏天的开始。

2. 节气特征

In ancient China, people divided Start of Summer into three periods, first period: the sounding of the crickets; second period: the earthworms coming out; third period: the budding of the cucumber blossom. From this description, we can see that when Start of Summer begins, the first thing that occurs is the chirping of the crickets (or some people say frogs) in the fields, then the activity of the earthworms is seen and last the vine of the cucumber begins its rapid growth.

我国古代将立夏分为三候，“一候蝼蝈鸣，二候蚯蚓出，三候王瓜生。”即是说这一节气中首先可听到蜊蜊蛄（即蝼蛄）在田间的鸣叫声（一说是蛙声），接着大地上便可看到蚯蚓掘土，然后王瓜的蔓藤开始快速攀爬生长。

Astronomers indicate that during the solar period of Start of Summer, summer crops enter their final growth stages, the winter wheat begins its flowering and ripening stage, rape enters its final growth stage and the summer harvest is tentatively determined. As a result, the farmers have the proverb, “Summer harvest may be evaluated since Start of Summer.”

天文专家表示，立夏时节，夏收作物进入生长后期，冬小麦扬花灌浆，油菜接近成熟，夏收作物年景基本定局，故农谚有“立夏看夏”之说。

3. 传统习俗

迎夏仪式

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。

吃立夏蛋

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。

斗蛋

As an old Chinese saying goes "hanging an egg on children's chest can prevent them from getting summer diseases,” parents will prepare boiled eggs and put them in a knitted bag before hanging them on their child’s chest. 

古时有句谚语“立夏胸挂蛋，孩子不疰夏”。立夏那天，家家户户煮好囫囵蛋（鸡蛋带壳清煮，不能破损），在冷水中浸上数分钟之后再套上早已编织好的丝网袋，挂于孩子颈上。

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.

到了学校里，孩子们便三五成群，进行斗蛋游戏。蛋分两端，尖者为头，圆者为尾，斗蛋时蛋头斗蛋头，蛋尾击蛋尾，一个一个斗，破者认输，直到分出高低。