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Chunfen
｜春 分｜
（本文转载自《孔子学院》中英双语版（江西刊）2023年第2期/总第78期）
“春分秋分，昼夜平分；吃了春分饭，一天长一线。”此时，柳条抽新，莺飞草长，春色烂漫，春意浓浓，正是一年春好处。伴着春雷，“一场春雨一场暖”，乍暖还寒时，也是乱穿衣的时节。
As the old Chinese saying goes, “At Chunfen (or the Spring Equinox) and Qiufen (or the Autumnal Equinox), day and night are of equal length. After we finish our meals on the day of Chunfen, each day we have gets longer by a thread.” During this season, we see willow branches budding, grass growing and birds flying, all against a lush and vibrant backdrop. It is a time when the air is thick with the spirit of spring and the thundery rains usher in more warmth bit by bit. Also during this time of unpredictable weather, we can see people dress in layers.
— Spring —
春分有吃春菜的习俗。春菜，通常有香椿芽、菠菜、豆芽、春笋、韭菜五种，也有人喜欢挖荠菜或其他野菜吃。春分前后，这些菜不仅新鲜、味美，而且有益于身体。
As part of the custom around the time of Chunfen, people eat spring vegetables such as toon sprouts, spinach, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and chives. Some people also enjoy digging up wild vegetables like shepherd’s purse. These vegetables are not only fresh and delicious, but also beneficial for the health.
春分时节春光明媚，正是孩子们放风筝的好时节。沐浴着春光，呼吸着新鲜空气，在一个惠风和畅的空旷之所，奔跑着放飞风筝，别有一番滋味。
Chunfen is a season of brightness, making it an ideal time for children to fly kites. Bathed in the spring sunshine and breathing fresh air, they run and play in open fields, releasing their kites into the sky. It is a beautiful scene to behold.
一年之际在于春，清朝诗人宋琬在《春日田家》中这样描述：
A year’s plan starts with spring. As the Qing Dynasty poet Song Wan wrote in “Spring Day in the Farmhouse”:
野田黄雀自为群，
山叟相过话旧闻。
夜半饭牛呼妇起，
明朝种树是春分。
Wild sparrows flock together in the fields,
old farmers meet to talk about the old days.
Men feed their cattle in the middle of the night, calling their wives to rise.
Tomorrow is the spring equinox, a good time to plant trees.
Get up, get up. Let’s get prepared.
本诗描写了春分时农忙的情景：在野外的农田中，一群群黄雀自在玩耍，山间的老农们相遇，一起闲谈从前的故事。半夜时分，人们就已经喂了牛，然后把妇人叫了起来：“明天是春分，要种树了，赶紧起来准备吧！”
This poem depicts the busy scene during the Chunfen period, with groups of sparrows playing in the fields and old farmers chatting about old times. At midnight, men get up to feed their cattle, waking their wives up so that they could prepare for tree-planting at dawn.
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