二十四節(jié)氣之清明和谷雨

雪漫

清明一般在仲春與暮春之交，公歷4月5日前后。清明既是節(jié)氣，也是節(jié)日。清明節(jié)是中華民族的重大傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，掃墓祭祖與踏青郊游是清明節(jié)的兩大禮俗主題，自古至今，傳承不輟。

清明節(jié)是中國人最隆重的祭祖的日子。掃墓，俗稱“上墳”，源自上古時(shí)代的祖先信仰與春祭禮俗，是一種禮敬祖先、慎終追遠(yuǎn)的文化傳承。在漢族和一些少數(shù)民族地區(qū)，人們按照當(dāng)?shù)氐娘L(fēng)俗習(xí)慣，帶上水果、食品和紙錢等到墓地，把供品擺放在墓碑前，將紙錢焚化，清理布置墓碑，或?yàn)閴災(zāi)固硪恍┬峦?，然后在墓前磕頭、鞠躬?，F(xiàn)在隨著墓葬方式和拜祭方式的改變，有人開始在阿上祭拜。

清明節(jié)前后，萬物“吐故納新”，陽氣生發(fā)，正是親近自然、享受春天樂趣、愉悅身心的好時(shí)節(jié)。放風(fēng)箏是清明節(jié)期間許多中國人喜歡的活動(dòng)。這一天放風(fēng)箏的特別之處在于，當(dāng)風(fēng)箏飛在空中時(shí)人們會(huì)剪斷風(fēng)箏線，讓它自由飛翔。據(jù)說這樣做可以帶來好運(yùn)，驅(qū)除疾病。

此外，在長江下游地區(qū)，青團(tuán)和青糕是清明節(jié)非常受歡迎的小吃。人們將稗草搗碎榨汁，然后將面粉和汁液混臺(tái)成糊狀，再將黑豆餡揉進(jìn)面糊中并蒸熟。青團(tuán)漂亮精致、口感醇厚、風(fēng)味獨(dú)特，在清明節(jié)也被用來祭祀祖先。

關(guān)于清明的詩詞，除了家喻戶曉的唐朝杜牧的“清明時(shí)節(jié)雨紛紛，路上行人欲斷魂。借問酒家何處有？牧童遙指杏花村”，還有北宋歐陽修的《采桑子》組詞中的一首，描繪了清明時(shí)節(jié)潁州（今安徽阜陽）西湖踏青之景，人歡景艷，滿目繁華，頗為動(dòng)人。

清明上已西湖好，

滿目繁華。

爭道誰家，

綠柳朱輪走鈿車。

游人日暮相將去，

醒醉喧嘩。

路轉(zhuǎn)堤斜，

直到城頭總是花。

谷雨是春季最后一個(gè)節(jié)氣。今年的谷雨在公歷4月20日。此時(shí)寒潮天氣基本結(jié)束，氣溫回升加快，有利于谷類農(nóng)作物的生長。谷雨意為“雨生百谷”，故有“春雨貴如油”之諺。此時(shí)降水明顯增加，要及時(shí)春播，作物新種和谷類方能得到雨水滋潤，進(jìn)而茁壯成長。時(shí)不我待，故民間有“谷雨前后種瓜種豆”之說。

在谷雨節(jié)氣，新茶已出，牡丹盛開，故民間有“品谷雨茶”“賞牡丹花”等習(xí)俗。在南方，谷雨前的新茶格外受歡迎。據(jù)說喝了谷雨天采摘的茶，可以降火、明目、辟邪。在山東、四川、河南等地，則有“谷雨三朝看牡丹”的習(xí)俗。各地舉辦牡丹賞花會(huì)，人們在花海中感受花香以及滿滿的春季氣息。在北方，還有谷雨吃香椿的習(xí)俗。香椿具有消炎、健胃、理氣、潤膚、抗菌、提高身體免疫力等功效。此時(shí)的香椿，鮮嫩可口，營養(yǎng)價(jià)值高，有“雨前香椿嫩如絲”的說法。此外，北方沿?！獛У臐O民會(huì)在谷雨節(jié)氣進(jìn)行祈福，祈禱捕魚豐收，出海平安。后來，這種祈?；顒?dòng)逐漸變成了祭海，漁民要向海神娘娘敬酒后再出海捕魚。

每年的谷雨日，也是“聯(lián)合國中文日”，或叫“國際中文日”。2010年，聯(lián)合國新聞部（現(xiàn)全球傳播部）宣布啟動(dòng)聯(lián)合國語言日。同年，將中文日定為每年4月20日中國傳統(tǒng)節(jié)氣“谷雨”這一天。每到這一天，聯(lián)合國各處辦公地都會(huì)舉辦各種慶?；顒?dòng)，全球的孔子學(xué)院或華人機(jī)構(gòu)也會(huì)舉辦話動(dòng)，展示中國漢字的魅力和中國文化。

關(guān)于谷雨的詩詞，南宋范成大的《蝶戀花》則寫出了春耕之后對收獲的期許。

春漲一籬添水面。芳草鵝兒，綠滿微風(fēng)岸。

畫舫夷猶灣百轉(zhuǎn)。橫塘塔近依前遠(yuǎn)。

江國多寒農(nóng)事晚。村北村南，谷雨才耕遍。

秀麥連岡桑葉賤。看看嘗面收新繭。

詩中描繪出一幅春意盎然的畫面：春來了，綠水新漲，漲平了水面。水邊芳草嫩綠如茵，鵝在水中游動(dòng)，畫船移動(dòng)繞著九曲水灣游轉(zhuǎn)，遠(yuǎn)處高塔依舊。江南水鄉(xiāng)春寒遲遲，農(nóng)事也晚，谷雨時(shí)才將農(nóng)田耕種一遍。此時(shí)春麥已結(jié)穗，隨風(fēng)連成片，山上桑樹茂盛，轉(zhuǎn)眼就可以品嘗新面，收取新繭。

Twenty-four Solar Terms

Qingming

Qingming， or Tomb Sweeping Day， usuallytakes place during the early or late spring，typically around April 5th in the Gregoriancalendar. It holds signi cance as both a solarterm and a traditional festival. Qingming has?been celebrated by the Chinese people forcenturies， and the customs of tomb sweepingand spring outing have been passed down?from ancient times to the present.

The Qingming Festival is the most solemnday for Chinese people to pay theirrespects to their ancestors. Tomb sweeping，o en referred to as “visiting the graves”， hasits roots in ancient ancestor worship andspring rituals. It serves as a cultural heritage，allowing people to honor their ancestors andcherish their memory. In Han and certainethnic minority regions， people adhere tolocal customs by bringing fruits， food， andpaper money to the cemetery. These o eringsare placed in front of the tombstone， andafter burning the paper money， the tombstoneis cleaned and decorated. Some freshsoil is added to the grave， and nally， peoplekowtow before the tomb. With the evolutionof burial practices and worship traditions，some people have even begun to worshiptheir ancestors online.

Additionally， during the Qingming Festival， thereis a sense of rejuvenation and the ourishing of positiveenergy. It is a wonderful time to reconnect with nature，revel in the delights of spring， and experience joy andrelaxation. One popular activity among many Chinesepeople during this festival is flying kites. What makeskite-flying on this day special is the practice of cuttingthe kite strings while the kite is airborne， allowing it tosoar freely. It is believed that this act brings good luckand wards o illnesses.

Moreover， in the regions downstream of the YangtzeRiver， Qingtuan （green rice ball） and Qinggao （greencake） are beloved snacks during the Qingming Festival.People crush barnyard grass and extract its juice， then mixthe juice with flour to create a paste-like mixture. Theythen knead black bean paste into the dough and steam ituntil cooked. Qingtuan is beautifully cra ed， with a richand mellow taste and a distinctive avor. It is also used toworship ancestors during the Qingming Festival.

When it comes to Qingming， apart fromthe well-known Tang Dynasty poem by Du Mu，“Amidst the drizzle in the Qingming season， onthe road， travelers’ souls seem to wane. May Iask where to nd an inn so near？ A shepherdboy points to Apricot Blossom Lane.” Thereis also “Cai Sang Zi” by Ouyang Xiu from theNorthern Song Dynasty. This piece depicts thevibrant scene of the Qingming Festival at WestLake， with its joyful people and magnificentlandscapes， truly captivating the hearts of thosewho witness it.

On the day of the Double Third Festival at

West Lake，

a sight of bustling magnificence is splendid.

Whose family competes for the road，

carriages with red wheels and filigree patterns

pass under green willows.

As the visitors depart at dusk，

awake or drunk， clamor fills the air.

The road turns， the embankment slants，

until reaching the city walls， flowers are ever

abundant.

Guyu

Guyu， or Grain Rain， the last solar term ofspring， began on April 20th this year. As coldweather wanes and temperatures rise， it is now agood time to grow crops. The Chinese people believethat “the rain rings up hundreds of grains”， andtherefore there is the Chinese saying that “springrain is as precious as oil”. At this time of year， becauseprecipitation significantly increases， farmersneed to sow their crops timely so that the crops canreceive adequate water and grow vigorously. Hence，people have the saying of “sowing melons and beansbefore and a er Guyu”.

During the Guyu season， new tea comes out，and peonies bloom， so there are customs like “tastingthe Guyu tea” and “admiring peony owers”. Inthe south， new tea picked before Guyu is particularlypopular. It is said that drinking tea collected on arainy day during the Guyu period can reduce fever，clear vision， and dispel evil spirits. In Shandong，Sichuan， Henan， and other places， there is a customof “appreciating peonies during the three days a erGuyu”. Peony ower shows are held in many places，where people can immerse themselves in the fragranceof owers and enjoy the best of spring.

In the north， there is also the custom of eatingChinese toon sprouts during the Guyu period. It is saidthat this seasonal delicacy has the effects of reducinginflammation， invigorating the stomach， regulating qi，moisturizing the skin， resisting bacteria， and enhancingimmunity. The toon sprouts this time of year are fresh，tender， delicious， and have particularly high nutritionalvalue. Therefore， there is also the Chinese saying： “Toonsprouts before Guyu are as delicate as silk.” It is also duringGuyu that shermen along the coast of the north willpray for a good harvest and safe voyage. Gradually， theyhave developed a ceremonial custom， offering wine tothe sea goddess before going out to sea.

“Chinese Language Day” or “International ChineseLanguage Day” of the United Nations also falls on theday of Guyu. In 2010， the News and Media Division（now the Department of Global Communications） ofthe United Nations announced the launch of the UnitedNations Language Day. It is also decided in that yearthat Chinese Language Day would be April 20th， whichcorresponded to the traditional Chinese solar term ofGuyu. On this day， o ces of the United Nations worldwidehold celebrations， and Confucius Institutes or Chineseorganizations around the world also organize activities toshowcase the charm of Chinese characters and Chineseculture.

The Song Dynasty poet Fan Chengdaonce depicted people’s expectations for agood harvest during spring plowing to a tuneof “Butter y in Love with Flowers”：

When the spring floods increase water levels，

the grass sway in the breeze along the shoreline，

where geese jump into the water and swim away.

The gaily-painted boats glide and turn.

On the horizon， now the distant towers stand.

In the water regions of the south， farming

begins late due to the extended chill of spring.

Now it is Grain Rain. All farmers in the village

finally have ploughed up all fields.

Beautiful wheat is in the ear， and mulberry

leaves are abundant and cheap.

Soon the villagers can taste flour made from

the new harvest

and collect cocoons for their silk.

The poem depicts a vivid picture ofspring： when spring comes， the green waterrises， leveling the surface. Fragrant grassgrows thickly， and geese swim in the water.The beautifully-decorated boats move throughtwists and turns of the waterway， withtowers standing in the distance. In the watertowns of southern China， spring plowingis delayed by cold weather， and Guyu is whenthe fields are tilled. By this time， the wheatis maturing， forming golden waves that wa in the wind. Mulberry trees flourish in themountains， and people can soon enjoy new our and collect new cocoons.