惊蛰：惊雷一声，万物春回 | Spring in China sees the 'Awakening of Insects'
万物出乎震，
震为雷，故曰惊蛰。
是蛰虫惊而出走矣。
The beginning of March brings some funny weather to China as temperatures rise and rainfall is accompanied by thunder. March 5 welcomes to a season known as the Awakening of the Insects (Chinese: 惊蛰).
三月初，天气出现有趣的变化——气温上升，雷雨来临。而今年的3月5日迎来了惊蛰节气。
Here are six things you may not know about Awakening of Insects.
以下是关于惊蛰你可能不知道的6件事。
春雷彻响天际
Spring thunder cracks the sky
The spring thunder is most noticeable during the Awakening of Insects solar term. An old Chinese saying goes: "If the first spring thunder crashes before the Awakening of Insects solar term, there will be abnormal weather that year".
惊蛰节气最显著的特征就是春雷响起。在中国有句古话：“未过惊蛰先打雷，四十九天云不开”。
春耕
Spring ploughing
Old Chinese sayings such as "once the Awakening of Insects comes, spring ploughing never rests" reveal the importance of this term to farmers.
古谚说“过了惊蛰节，春耕不能歇”，显示了这个节气对农民的重要性。
祭白虎
Offering sacrifices
to the white tiger
根据中国古代民间传说，白虎(white tiger)是口舌、是非之神(creature that brings quarrels and disputes)，每年都会在惊蛰时节出来觅食(begins hunting)，有时会咬人。据说那些被白虎咬到的人，一生中会遇到邪恶( encounter evil villains)，诸事不顺，运气不佳。因此，人们在惊蛰那天祭(offer sacrifices)白虎，以保护自己。
When practicing this old custom, people draw the white tiger on paper, and then smear pig's blood and pork on its mouth. This means the tiger is fed so that it would not bite people, avoiding bad luck and conflict.
祭白虎，就是画一只白虎在纸上，再在它的嘴上涂猪血或者猪油，意思是让它吃饱后不再咬人，避免坏运气和是非矛盾。
打小人
Beating "villains"
打 “小人”("villain" hitting)起源于唐代(Tang Dynasty)（618 - 907年），它是起源于广东、香港民间的祭祀仪式。惊蛰驱逐“小人”，会带来好运(good luck)。人们经常指派特定的“女巫”("witch")（通常是一位老年妇女）去“小人”。
They use paper cut in the shape of humans to represent "villains" in their lives and the "witch" would use shoes or other tools to hit the paper to expel bad luck.
他们用剪纸剪出人类的形状，代表生活中的“小人”，“女巫”会用鞋子或其他工具去打“纸小人”，驱逐厄运。
钓鱼好时节
A good time for fishing
Around the Awakening of Insects, hibernating animals wake up, and so do fish. They swim from deep water to shallow water in search of food, mating and bearing young. It is a good time for fishing.
惊蛰前后，动物从冬眠中醒来，鱼儿也不例外。他们从深海游到浅水中来觅食，交配和产卵，正是钓鱼的好时机。
惊蛰吃梨
Eating pears
Eating pears around the Awakening of Insects is a widely-practiced custom in China. As the weather gets warmer and the air becomes dry, people tend to feel their mouths are parched and tongues dry, which can cause colds or coughs. A pear is sweet, juicy and cold, moistening the lungs to arrest a cough. Therefore, pears are highly recommended during the Awakening of Insects.
我国民间素有惊蛰日吃梨的习俗。随着天气变暖，气候比较干燥，人们很容易口干舌燥，引起感冒或咳嗽。梨味甘，多汁，性寒，有润肺止咳的功效。因此，惊蛰时节应多吃梨。
图片来源：China Daily、CGTN、soogif动图、视觉中国、东方IC
编辑：张婷婷
设计：王雅雯
审核：王伟
监制：施力维
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