二十四節(jié)氣之驚蟄和春分Twenty-four Solar Terms

雪漫

驚蟄是二十四節(jié)氣中的第三個節(jié)氣，公歷3 月5 日至6 日左右?！按豪左@百蟲”，春雷始響，蟄伏于地下冬眠的蟄蟲被雷聲驚醒，紛紛破土而出?！按豪醉懀f物長”，此時氣溫回升快，草木都從地下面冒出來了。故驚蟄不僅代表著生機，預示著新的生命力，而且還表示新一年的春耕要開始了。正如農(nóng)諺“到了驚蟄節(jié)，鋤頭不停歇”所說，自此，我國大部分地區(qū)都已進入春耕季節(jié)。一年之計在春耕，春得一犁雨，秋收萬擔糧。驚蟄來了，春忙也到了。

Jingzhe（or the Awakening of Insects），the third solar term in the twenty-four solarterms， typically occurs around March 5th to6th each year. It is said that “spring thunderawakens all insects”， as the first thunder ofspring rouses creatures like insects from theirhibernation underground， prompting them toemerge. Another saying states， “Spring thunderbrings growth to all things.” During thistime， the temperature rises rapidly， causingplants and trees to sprout from the ground.Thus， Jingzhe symbolizes not only vitality andthe promise of new life but also signifies thebeginning of spring plowing for the new year.As the saying goes， “When Jingzhe arrives，the hoe never rests.” From this point onward，most regions in China enter the spring plowingseason， as the bountiful crop in autumndepends on this essential spring agriculturalactivity. With the arrival of Jingzhe， the busyseason of spring also commences.

驚蟄時期，各地風俗不同。乍暖還寒，氣候較干燥，人們易舌燥、咳嗽，所以民間有驚蟄吃梨的習俗。梨可以生食、蒸、榨汁、烤或者煮水，有順肝益脾之功效，也有助于強體防疫。在一些地方，還有“祭白虎”和“打小人”的習俗。中國民間傳說中，白虎是口舌、是非之神，每年都會在驚蟄這天出來覓食，開口噬人?！凹腊谆ⅰ敝赴菁烙眉埨L制的白色老虎：拜祭時，以肥豬血喂之，令其飽后不再出口傷人，之后再以生豬肉抹在紙老虎的嘴上，使之不能張口說人是非。古時驚蟄當日，人們會手持清香、艾草，用來熏家里房子的四角，以香味驅(qū)趕蛇、蟲、蚊、鼠等，之后逐漸演變成不順心者拍打“小人紙”，有趨利避害、遠離小人的含義，這是“打小人”的由來。

Different regions have their own customs duringthe Jingzhe period. As the weather transitions fromcold to warm， it becomes relatively dry， leading to drythroats and easy coughing. Therefore， there is a folk traditionof eating pears during Jingzhe. Pears can be consumedraw， steamed， juiced， baked， or boiled in water.They are believed to benefit the liver and the spleen andstrengthen the bodys immune system. In some places，there are customs of “offering sacrifices to the white tiger”and “beating the paper man”. According to Chinesefolklore， white tiger is a deity associated with gossipand disputes. It is believed to appear every year on theday of Jingzhe to seek food and harm people. “Offeringsacrificing to the white tiger” involves worshiping apaper tiger made of white paper. During the ceremony，the paper tiger is fed with pigs blood to satisfy its hungerand prevent it from spreading ill rumors. Raw porkis then rubbed on the mouth of the paper tiger， preventingit from uttering gossip. In ancient times， on theday of Jingzhe， people used to fumigate their homescorners with incense and the mugwort， driving awaysnakes， insects， mosquitoes， and rats with the fragrantsmoke. Over time， for those plagued by unhappiness，this practice evolved into the act of “beating the paperman” to ward off misfortune and keep away maliciousindividuals. This is the origin of the custom known as“beating the paper man”.

驚蟄作為春天的節(jié)氣，在中國的古詩詞中也有很多表現(xiàn)。唐代白居易在《聞雷》一詩中所描寫的驚蟄詩句最令人動容。

As a seasonal marker of spring， Jingzhehas also been extensively portrayed in ancientChinese poetry. The poem “HearingThunder” by Bai Juyi from the Tang Dynastybeautifully captures the essence of Jingzhe.

瘴地風霜早，溫天氣候催。

窮冬不見雪，正月已聞雷。

震蟄蟲蛇出，驚枯草木開。

空余客方寸，依舊似寒灰。

In the land plagued by mists and frost，

Warm weather arrives， hastened and tossed.

No snow in the depths of winters plight，

But thunder in January， heralds its might.

Awakened are creatures， from slumber they rise，

Startling the withered， as nature defies.

Yet in this realm， where visitors roam，

Remnants of cold persist， like ashes alone.

這首詩是說：天氣慢慢變溫暖，正月已聽到雷聲，在一陣陣的雷聲中，蟄伏在地下的百蟲和蛇好像被雷聲叫醒一般，結束一冬的酣睡出來了。百蟲醒來，萬物開始復蘇，也叫醒了希望……

In this poem， the poet describes thegradual transition to warmer weather. Evenin the first lunar month， thunder can alreadybe heard. As the thunder rumbles， creaturesand snakes that were dormant undergroundduring the winter seem to awaken from theirdeep slumber. This awakening marks the beginningof rejuvenation and instills hope.