二十四节气大暑

何芷翌

“大暑”，顧名思义，就是天气非常炎热的意思。大暑是二十四节气中的第12个节气，也是夏季六个节气中的最后一个。 如今，人们将大暑定为每年公历7月22日至24日。这个时节也是我国大部分地区整个夏天甚至一年中最热的时期。

As its name suggests， Dashu， or GreatHeat， marks a period of extremely hot days.It is the 12th of the twenty-four solar termsand the last of the six solar terms belongingto summer. In modern days， Dashu is setto happen over July 22nd to July 24th，corresponding to the hottest time in summerfor most places in China.

这一节气最突出的特点就是热。在此期间，整个长江中下游地区就如同一个大火炉，骄阳似火，风小，湿度大，让人闷热难当。此时，做好防暑降温的工作就显得尤为重要。

Hot weather is the primary feature ofthis period. During the period of Dashu， themiddle and lower reaches of the Yangtze Riveris like a big oven. e scorching sun， the stillair， and the high humidity make it a di culttime for people to endure， so it is important totake precautions to avoid heatstrokes.

对于农业生产而言，大暑节气正值“三伏天”里的“中伏”前后，是一年中日照最多、气温最高的时期，这时的农作物生长快，抢收早稻、抢种晚稻的“双抢”工作非常紧张。酷暑盛夏，水分蒸发特别快，生长旺盛的农作物对水分的要求更为迫切，真是“小暑雨如银，大暑雨如金”。由于喜热农作物在这一时期生长速度最快，许多植物长出茂密的枝叶，这恰好给动物们提供了避暑的宝地。许多动物或找阴凉的地方，或改变习性，或干脆躲起来，以度过这段酷夏时期。

For agriculture， Dashu is a critical period too.Happening around zhongfu （erfu， or the SecondSummer Heat） among the three Summer Heat periods，the intensity of sunlight and temperature during theperiod of Dashu are all at their zenith and agriculturalcrops are growing rapidly. The “two rushes” inagriculture — rushing to harvest the early season riceand rushing to plant the late season rice — all happenduring this period. In the summer heat， transpirationis accelerated and the rapidly growing crops needlarge amount of water， and that’s why people say rainis “as good as silver in Xiaoshu and as good as gold inDashu”. Many philothermic plants have the highestlevel of metabolism at this time and their lush leavescreate a precious shelter for animals to weather the heat.Animals either move to a cooler place or change theirdaytime habits or even hide themselves somewhere as away to cope with this period of extreme heat.

大暑时节，华北地区有“喝暑羊”（即喝羊肉汤）的习俗。经过紧张的夏收劳动，人们非常疲倦，喝一碗味道鲜美的羊肉汤来补充体力再好不过。大暑时节也是乡村田野蟋蟀最多的时候，大人们会带着孩子到田野里抓蟋蟀，然后到大树底下玩斗蟋蟀的游戏。此外，广东地区还有“ 吃仙草”的习俗。“仙草”就是凉粉草，具有清热消暑的功效，所以被称作“仙草”。将凉粉草磨成粉，制成糊状，品尝起来甘甜清爽，是一种非常受欢迎的消暑甜品。如今，仙草产品不断推出，吸引着越来越多的消费者。仙草和水果等食物搭配在一起食用，不仅清凉消暑，还能给食客们带来酸酸甜甜的味蕾享受。

During the period of Dashu， there isthe custom of “drinking summer lamb”（i.e. drinking lamb soups） in northernChina. After the busy summer harvest，a bow of delicious lamb soup is an idealelixir to reinvigorate the tired body. It isalso the time of the year when cricketsthrive in rural areas， so children togetherwith their parents are often seen catchingcrickets in the elds and then engaging incricket ghts in the shelter of trees. Apartfrom these customs， there is a traditionof “eating fairy grass jelly” in GuangdongProvince. Fairy grass is the other name ofChinese mesona which is used in makinggrass jelly. It is believed to have the bene tsof clearing summer heat， hence the name“fairy grass”. Fairy grass is grounded intopowder and then made into sweet andcooling jellies， a very popular dessert forsummertime. Nowadays， products madefrom fairy grass are upgraded into a greatvariety and cater to all sorts of consumerneeds. For instance， grass jelly topped withfruits offers not only the cooling benefitsbut also the savory fruity experience.