今日“立春” 2022（Start of Spring）THE 24 SOLAR TERMS: 立春 LÌ CHŪN

今

日

立

春

2022年2月4日   04时50分36秒

今年立春适值“六九”首日

历史学者、天津社科院研究员罗澍伟介绍说，每年公历2月4日左右，太阳到达黄经315°时，进入立春节气，它是二十四节气中第一个节气。立春代表着春季开始，但受强冷空气影响，大风、降温仍是这一时节的主旋律；只有强冷空气造访的间隙，才会出现较为明显的气温回升。

今年立春适值“六九”首日，也就是“春打六九头”。罗澍伟说：“‘五九六九，沿河看柳’。此时节垂柳渐绿，枝抽新芽；远观水岸，‘黄金装柳蕊，红密点花枝’的诱人景色，会徐徐映入眼帘。”

Have you heard about The 24 Solar Terms, 24节气 Jié qì?

What is the 24 Solar Terms? 

The 24 Solar Terms were created by ancient Chinese people and used to indicate the changes of climate and its phenomenon. Ancient Chinese divided the traditional lunar calendar into the 24 Solar Terms based on the observation of Sun’s position and movement to guide people for agricultural activity at the time.

立春 Lì chūn, Start of Spring ( Feb. 4th, 2022)

立春, the first solar terms of the year, indicates the beginning of Spring.

（视频：四季中国——立春）

立春，为二十四节气之首，又名正月节、岁节、改岁、岁旦等。立，是“开始”之意；春，代表着温暖、生长。明清官方历书中被归入正月节气；到达时间点在公历每年2月3-5日，太阳到达黄经315°时。

Li Chun (立春) is the first festival of the Chinese solar year and falls on either the third, fourth or fifth of February. Known as “the Beginning of Spring”, it is the start of a new Chinese solar year when we are revitalized and look forward to a fresh beginning.

“二十四节气”（the Twenty-Four Solar Terms）是中国人通过观察太阳周年运动（observation of the sun's annual motion），认知一年中时令（season）、气候（climate）、物候（phenology）等方面的变化规律所形成的知识体系和社会实践。

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Spring (Chinese: 立春), the first solar term of the year, begins this year on Feb 3 and ends on Feb 17.

China's “24 solar terms” was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) world intangible cultural heritage list in 2016.

Start of Spring " lifts the curtain of Spring". After everything turns green and full of vigour; people clearly see the daytime becoming longer and the weather becoming warmer.

“立春”拉开了春季的帷幕。此后万物复苏，充满勃勃生机。人们也能明显感觉到白天开始变长，天气回暖。

The ancient Chinese held rituals to pray for a bumper year at his term. The emperors visited farmlands and even plough the fields in person. Nowadays, people often take a trip on the first day of this term to celebrate the advent of spring. 

The traditional food for this term is spring pancake (Chinese: 春饼). You can feel the vitality and vigor of spring when you take a bite of this pancake wrapped around various stir-fried vegetable and meat fillings.

In China we have a saying that the whole year’s work depends on whether you can make good plans in spring. Wish you a good start of another year!

Poem: Ode to a Willow

He Zhizhang (Tang Dynasty)

A tall willow has been dressed with the leaves of jade,

Ten thousand twigs hang down like green ribbons

I wonder who cut out its slim leaves.

It is the spring breeze in February as a pair of scissors

咏柳

贺知章

碧玉妆成一树高，万条垂下绿丝绦。

不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀。

Ode to the Willow 

He Zhizhang 

The tree’s dressed with emerald, high to low;

Ten thousand twigs sway down their silky sheen.

Who’s tailored the leaves so thin, I don’t know;

The second moon, wind cuts like scissors keen.

（赵彦春 译）

 <习俗> Xí sú, What would Chinese people do?

On the day of 立春, Chinese people have traditions of 咬春 Yǎo chūn and 摸春牛 Mō chūn niú. 咬春 means to eat either Chinese spring rolls or spring pancake, and 摸春牛 means to pat a spring cow indicates that it’s time to get ready to work!

立春这日，人们举行热闹的庆贺活动迎春。古代还有春吏，于前一日沿街报春，迎主春事的句芒神，并举行大班鼓吹、抬阁、地戏、秧歌、打牛等活动，立春后，春暖花开，适宜外出游春，报春送帖子，迎句芒神。

flying a kite 

放风筝

作为一种传统的民间活动，放风筝已经有两千多年的历史了。立春是放飞风筝的绝佳时节，人们到了户外可以尽情地呼吸新鲜空气，排出冬季身体里积攒的陈旧气味。

biting the spring

 “咬春”

立春这一天，中国很多地方有“咬春”的风俗。人们吃春饼、春卷，或者咬几口胡萝卜。

<中医食补> Zhōng yī shí bǔ, What would Chinese people eat?

According to Traditional Chinese medicine, it suggested that people may add ingredients, such as 大枣 Dà zǎo、豆豉 Dòu chǐ、葱 Cōng、香菜 Xiāng cài and 花生 Huā shēng into their dishes starting from the day of 立春 to enhance your energy and metabolism. It also suggested that people may take some Chinese herbs, such as 郁金 Yù jīn、枸杞 Gǒu qǐ、丹參 Dān shēn、and 元胡 Yuán hú to re-activate your body from the cold weather.

The 24 Solar terms, the fifth great invention of China, was added to the list of intangible culture heritage of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2016. 

Origin of 24 Solar Terms

As early as the Shang Dynasty (17th century BC - 1046 BC), the Chinese ancestors had already established four major solar terms. During the Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BC), eight solar terms marking the four seasons were established: Start of Spring, Spring Equinox, Start of Summer, Summer Solstice, Start of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Start of Winter, and Winter Solstice. Until the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), the present 24 solar terms was established completely.

The 24 terms include Start of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright, Grain Rain, Start of Summer, Grain Buds, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, Major Heat, Start of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, Frost's Descent, Start of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold and Major Cold.