夏至已至 万物皆长 | Things you may not know about Summer Solstice
今天是6月21日，是一个很特殊的日子。今天，既是二十四节气中的夏至，也是很多人牢记在心的父亲节。
夏至是北半球日照时间最长的一天，也是阳气最旺的时节。而父亲自古就是阳刚和坚毅的代名词。
夏至遇上父亲节，阳气十足！
夏至，是二十四节气之第十个节气。今年的夏至起于6月21日，止于7月6日。
Xiazhi, Summer Solstice, the 10th solar term of the year, begins on June 21 this year and ends on July 6.
夏至日，虽是北半球日照时间最长的一天，但真正的酷热还要在二、三十天后才会袭来。
At this time, much of the northern hemisphere receives the most hours of daylight, but it does not bring the hottest temperatures which will come only 20 to 30 days later.
关于夏至这5件事你可能需要知道。
The following are five things you might not know about Summer Solstice.
一年中日照时间最长的一天
The longest day of the year
夏至这一天，北半球的光照时间达到最长。之后就变得越来越短，北半球的温度也越来越高。
On the Summer Solstice, daylight lasts the longest for the whole year in the northern hemisphere. After this day, daylight hours get shorter and shorter and temperatures become higher in the northern hemisphere.
这一天能长到什么程度呢？黑龙江漠河，中国的最北端，日照可长达17个小时！不过这有一个好处，这天将是在这个“不眠小镇”观赏极光的好时候。
How long is the longest day in China? According to the expert Yan Jiarong, the entire day in Mohe in Helongjiang province, located in the northernmost tip of China, lasts nearly 17 hours when you include dawn, twilight and its afterglow. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora in Mohe, "the sleepless town of China".
古代的公共假日
A public holiday in ancient times
在中国古代，夏至是一个很重要的节日。早在汉朝，有些节日比如重阳还没有像现在那么重要的时候，就已经在庆祝夏至了。
Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220), when the Double Ninth Festival was not as important as they are today, the Summer Solstice was already celebrated.
为了庆祝夏至，女性互赠彩扇和香囊。扇子可以扇去炎热，香囊则帮助驱蚊和香体。
To celebrate Summer Solstice, women gave colored fans and sachets to each other. Fans could help them cool down and the sachets could drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet.
看着太阳转
Seeing the sun turn around
墨江县位于普洱市北部，是哈尼族自治县，北回归线穿城而过。每年夏至日，太阳直射北回归线，此后太阳直射点逐渐南移，标志着炎热的气候来临，也就是这个短暂的时间，墨江北回归线标志园会出现一年一次的“立竿无影”天文奇观。
Hani autonomous county of Mojiang, Southwest China's Yunnan province is located on the northern tropic. Every year on the Summer Solstice, the sun sits directly over the Tropic of Cancer and returns from north to south. Then, the amazing phenomenon known as "upright pole with no shadows" occurs.
“吃过夏至面，一天短一线”
Eating noodles
俗话说，“冬至饺子夏至面”。不少地区的人们有在这一天吃面条的传统。
There is a saying in Shandong province which goes, "eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice." People in different areas of Shandong province eat chilled noodles on this day.
夏至习语
Summer Solstice idiom
中国成语“杯弓蛇影”与夏至有关。
In Chinese, an idiom "杯弓蛇影" is related to Summer Solstice.
汉 • 应劭 《风俗通义 • 怪神》中记载：有个叫杜宣的人参加夏至节气的一次宴饮，见杯内酒中有蛇，心中非常厌恶，但也勉强喝下。
According to the records of Fengsutong (a book about Chinese customs), written by Ying Shao from the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD25-220), a man named Du Xuan attended a banquet on Summer Solstice, where he mistook the shadow of a bow in his cup for a snake and he had to drink it out of fear.
待回到家中就得了病。后来知道是挂在墙上的弓的影子，他方才解除疑虑而病愈。后以此典指疑神疑鬼，自相困扰。
After the banquet, he felt chest pains and a bellyache and couldn't recover even after seeing many doctors. Finally, he found he had mistaken the shadow of a red crossbow on the wall for a snake in his cup and recovered. Later, people used this idiom to refer to people who are suspicious and frighten themselves.
今天也不要忘了给父亲送上祝福哦！愿所有的爸爸节日快乐, 身体健康!
中文及图片来源：China Daily、东方IC、图怪兽
编辑：张婷婷
审核：刘秀红、谢慜
监制：施力维
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