【双语】Lidong: Start of Winter
Lidong, literally known as Start of Winter, arrives TODAY. It’s the 19th solar term of the Chinese lunar calendar and the first solar term of winter.
今日，立冬。 “立冬”是中国传统24节气中的第19个节气，也是冬季的第一个节气。
Just as its name indicates, Lidong marks the beginning of winter and crops harvested in autumn should be stored up. However, in fact, Lidong is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology.
冬，终也，万物收藏也。在中国文化中，“立冬”意味着冬天的到来，此时秋季丰收的作物全部收藏入库。然而， “立冬”并不是气象学上冬季的开始。
Geographically, China has a vast territory spanning dozens of altitudes from north to south in China, hence the arrival of winter varies in different regions. Some regions in northeastern China, such as Heilongjiang Province, Liaoning Province and Jilin Province, enter meteorological winter as early as in September. However, it usually takes much longer time for regions in the south to enter winter, such as Yangtze River Delta, welcoming winter in November and Guangdong Province in late December. So while people living in northern China have a harsh time defensing against the coldness with layers of clothes, those in southern China are still looking for ways to cool themselves down—a scoop of ice cream may help!
中国疆土辽阔，南北纵跨数十个纬度，因此各地区冬季开始的时间并不一致。中国的东北地区如黑龙江、辽宁、吉林等省份在九月就已进入冬季，南方地区则更晚入冬。长三角地区在十一月迎来冬天，而广东的小伙伴们则在十二月才会挥手与秋天告别（如果秋天存在的话
People in northern China V.S. People in southern China
立冬时的北方人VS.南方人
Customs of Lidong
立冬习俗
Welcoming the Winter 迎冬
Lidong used to be an important festival in ancient China. The ancient emperor would take a shower and have no more meat before its arrival. On the first day of Lidong, the emperor led his officials to the suburbs, performing a worshipping ceremony to welcome the arrival of winter.
立冬是中国古代重要的节日。在立冬之前，天子会戒斋沐浴，“立冬”这一天亲率群臣出郊，行迎冬之礼。
Winter Swimming 冬泳
On the first day of Lidong, many swimmers take a plunge into the water to welcome the arrival of winter in the city of Harbin (Heilongjiang Province in northeast China), Shangqiu (Henan Province in central China), Yichun ( Jiangxi Province in east China) and Wuhan (Hubei Province in central China). Winter swimming has become a popular sport in the country.
立冬之日，在黑龙江哈尔滨、河南商丘、江西宜春、湖北武汉等地，冬泳爱好者们就曾用冬泳这种方式迎接冬天的到来。冬泳成为人们最喜爱的体育运动之一。
North China: Eating Dumplings 北方吃饺子
Eating dumplings on Lidong is a tradition in North China. Legend has it that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, people in Nanyang (Henan Province) suffered from typhoid epidemic with their ears being frostbitten around the time of Lidong. Zhang Zhongjing, one of the most eminent Chinese physicians, saved their lives by creating a special recipe-mixing up mutton, hot peppers and all herbs that dispel the internal coldness in the body, and wrapping all these ingredietns in an ear-shape dough. This special "medical food" was later known as dumpling. Today there is still a saying that goes "On start fo Winter, dumplings or earless?"
在中国北方有立冬吃饺子的习俗。相传在东汉末年，“立冬”前后，许多南阳（今河南省南阳市）的老百姓患上了伤寒，耳朵纷纷被冻伤，“医圣”张仲景知道后巧施妙法帮老百姓治好了病。他将羊肉、辣椒以及驱寒提热的药材煮熟，包在耳朵状的面皮中。此后，老百姓也开始模仿制作这种“耳朵状”食物即现在被大家熟知的饺子。直到今天，仍有“立冬不端饺子碗，冻掉耳朵没人管”的说法。
South China: Nourishing the Winter 南方“补冬”
To keep their body warm and strong before the arrival of winter, during Lidong, people living in south China, such as Fujian and Guangdong Province, tend to have food containing rich proteins, including chicken, duck, fish, mutton and beef, which are usually stewed with traditional Chinese medicine including angelica, ligusticum wallichii, Chinese herbaceous peony and rehmannia glutinosa libosch, to enhance the effectiveness of nourishment.
在中国南方省份，如福建和广东，则流行在“立冬”这一天“补冬”，为身体储存能量。人们喜欢吃鸡、鸭、鱼、牛、羊肉等含高蛋白质的食物，在烹煮时还会加入中国传统的中药当归、川芎、芍药及地黄来增加食物的食补功效。
►Photos: From Internet
►Editors: Amber Zhang, Shirley Tse