二十四节气 | 立夏：万物繁茂始立夏

立夏这个节气在战国末年(公元前239年)就已经确立了，预示着季节的转换，为一年四季之夏季开始的日子。

In ancient China, the solar term of the Beginning of Summer was established in the late Warring States period (239 BC), marking the beginning of summer and the transition of seasons.

立夏时节，万物繁茂。明人《莲生八戕》一书中写有：“孟夏之日，天地始交，万物并秀。”这时夏收作物进入生长后期，冬小麦扬花灌浆，油菜接近成熟，夏收作物年景基本定局，故农谚有“立夏看夏”之说。据记载，周朝时，立夏这天，帝王要亲率文武百官到郊外“迎夏”，并指令司徒等官去各地勉励农民抓紧耕作。旧俗立夏日又为民间传统节日，称“立夏节。”

During this period, all things flourish. According to the book Eight Notes about Regimen by a Ming dynasty author, In the first month of summer, the heaven and earth begin to interact, and all things bloom together. At this time, the summer harvest crops enter the late growth stage, winter wheat begins to flower and fill, rapeseed approaches maturity, and the overall harvest outlook is basically determined. Therefore, there is a saying in agriculture: From the Beginning of Summer, you can see signs of summer It is recorded that during the Zhou Dynasty, on the day of the beginning of summer, the emperor and his civil and military officials would personally lead a delegation to the outskirts to greet summer and instruct officials such as the Minister of Works to encourage farmers to intensify their cultivation. The Beginning of Summer is also a traditional folk festival called Summer begins Festival.

汉代也沿承此俗，《后汉书·祭祀志》载：“立夏之日迎夏，于南郊，祭赤帝祝融，车旗服饰皆赤。”歌《朱明》，舞《云翅之舞》。到宋代，礼仪更趋繁琐。至明代始有“尝新风俗”。清代《帝京岁时纪胜》载“立夏取平时曝晒之米粉春芽，并用糖面煎作各色果叠，相互馈送”。江浙一带还有立夏吃花饭的习俗，也有叫“吃补食”的。民间习俗还有“立夏吃蛋，石头都踩烂”，说立夏时吃鸡蛋鸭蛋可以增强体质，还可以耐暑。有的立夏食笋，有的立夏喝酒，都是赶在节日这天，名曰“立夏见三新”，南方地区旧时逢立夏日，各家蒸新茶，并配以各种水果，馈赠亲戚邻居。

This custom was also followed during the Han Dynasty, as recorded in the History of the Later Han Dynasty: On the day of the Beginning of Summer, we greet the summer at the Southern Suburb and offer sacrifices to the Deity of Fire Zhu Rong. The clothes, flags, and accessories are all red. The songs and dances performed were Zhu Ming(which means summer and the Deity of Fire Zhu Rong) and Wing’s Dance. By the Song Dynasty, the etiquette became more elaborate. In the Ming Dynasty, a new custom called taste fresh delicacies  emerged. The Qing Dynasty book Imperial Capital's Yearly Customs and Chronicles records that on the day of the Beginning of Summer, people would take the rice noodles and spring sprouts that were usually sun-dried and fried with sugar and flour to make various pastry to give to each other. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, there is a custom of eating Li Xia Rice（rice mixed with vegetables and meat which is similar to paellas in Europe）on this day, also known as eating tonic food. Folk customs also include Eating eggs at the Beginning of Summer, one can be strong enough to crush stones, saying that eating chicken and duck eggs at the Beginning of Summer can enhance one's physical fitness and heat resistance. Some people eat bamboo shoots on this day, some drink wine, and all of these are done on the festival day, called seeing three fresh delicacies on the day of the Beginning of Summer. In southern China, on this day, each household steams new tea and pairs it with various fruits to give to relatives and neighbors.

“立夏”的“夏”是“大”的意思，是指春天播种的植物已经直立长大了。廿四节气反映了四时“气”的变化，气的变化关系到自然节律变化，立夏阳气渐长，万物随阳气上升而茁壮成长。古代，人们非常重视立夏的礼俗。在立夏的这天，古代人们有举行迎夏仪式。

The character 夏(Xia) in Li Xia means big, indicating that the plants sown in the spring have grown upright. The 24 solar terms reflect the changes in the qi (which is also known as climate) of the four seasons, which are related to the natural rhythm changes. During the Beginning of Summer, the yang energy gradually strengthens, and all things grow vigorously as the yang energy rises. In ancient times, people attached great importance to the customs of the Beginning of Summer. On this day, ancient people held a ceremony to welcome the summer.

江南的立夏习俗里有所谓的“见三新”，就是吃些这个时节长出来的鲜嫩物儿。苏州地方有“立夏见三新”的谚语。“三新”指新熟的樱桃、青梅和麦子。人们先以这“三新”祭祖，然后人们尝食。同时，苏州立夏还要吃海蛳、面筋、白笋、荠菜、咸鸭蛋、青蚕豆，各家酒店立夏这天对进店的老顾客奉送酒酿、烧酒，不取分文，因此也把立夏叫做“馈节”。在常熟，人们立夏尝新，食品更为丰富，有“九荤十八素”的说法。浙江、江苏、湖北、湖南、江西、安徽等地，人们仍然保留着立夏吃乌米饭的古老习俗，乌米饭是一种紫黑色的糯米饭，是采集野生植物乌桕树的叶子煮汤，用此汤将糯米浸泡半天，然后捞出放入木甑里蒸熟而成。

In the customs of the Beginning of Summer in the regions south of the Yangtze River, there is a tradition called seeing three new , which means eating fresh and tender foods that grow in this season.  In Suzhou, there is a saying seeing three new on the day of the Beginning of Summer, which refers to the new ripe cherries, green plums, and wheat. People first sacrifice these three new to their ancestors, and then taste them. At the same time, people also eat conch, gluten, white asparagus, shepherd's purse, salted duck eggs, green beans in Suzhou, and various restaurants offer their regular customers wine and spirits for free, so the Beginning of Summer is also called Giving Festival. In Changshu, the food is even more abundant with the saying nine meat and eighteen vegetarian dishes. In Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, and other places, people still retain the ancient custom of eating black rice on the Beginning of Summer. Black rice is a kind of purple-black glutinous rice made by boiling the leaves of wild Chinese soapberry trees and soaking glutinous rice in the soup for half a day, then steaming it in a wooden steamer.