“夏至”是中国传统二十四节气（the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms）中的第十个节气，英文是Summer Solstice。夏至，古时又称“夏节”、“夏至节”。古人说：“日长之至，日影短至，至者，极也，故曰夏至”。
夏至这天，太阳直射北回归线，北半球各地白昼时间达全年最长。
At this time, much of the northern hemisphere receives the most hours of daylight, but it does not bring the hottest temperatures which will come only 20 to 30 days later.
在此期间，北半球绝大多数地方接受着最长的日照，但最严酷的高温在20至30天后才会出现。
有哪些自然现象和习俗典故是与夏至相关的呢？一起来看看吧。
最长的白天
“昼晷已云极，宵漏自此长。”夏至当天，北半球的白天将达到一年中的最长。过了这天，北半球白天的时间会变得越来短。
The entire day in Mohe in Heilongjiang province, located in the northernmost tip of China, lasts nearly 17 hours when you include dawn, twilight and its afterglow. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora in Mohe, "the sleepless town of China".
黑龙江省漠河坐落于中国的最北端，把黎明、黄昏和落日余晖算进去的话，昼长可达近17个小时。夏至到 “中国不夜城”漠河看极光，是最好的时机。
立竿无影
“立竿无影”指直立在地上的物体没有影子的现象，通常出现在夏至日正午时分。
Hani autonomous county of Mojiang, southwest China's Yunnan province is located on the northern tropic. Every year on the Summer Solstice, the sun sits directly over the Tropic of Cancer and returns from north to south. Then, the amazing phenomenon known as "upright pole with no shadows" occurs.
云南省墨江哈尼自治县位于北回归线上。每年夏至时，太阳直射北回归线，并自北向南移动。然后，令人惊叹的“立竿无影”现象便出现了。
Tropic of Cancer：北回归线
吃夏至面
俗话说，“冬吃饺子夏吃面”，夏至面又叫“入伏面”。炎炎夏日，新麦磨粉做成面条，是美味尝新，也有助于消化。
People in different areas of Shandong province eat chilled noodles on this day. Other people around China, including those in Beijing, also have a tradition of eating noodles.
山东省不同地区的人都有在夏至当天吃凉面的习俗，而包括北京在内的中国其他地区的人们，也有夏至吃面的传统。
注：“夏至三庚数头伏”，这是确立初伏的依据。历书规定：“夏至三庚便数伏”，意思是说，“从夏至日”开始往后数，数到第三个“庚日”便开始入伏了。
赛龙舟
赛龙舟是端午节的传统项目之一。受气候影响，有些地方会在夏至期间进行这项活动。
安徽省铜陵市大通镇，龙舟队员在参加比赛（图片来源：新华社）
Due to the local climate, dragon boat races have been held on the Summer Solstice day in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province rather than on Dragon Boat Festival since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. This tradition is still in practice today, with all the attendant excitement.
根据当地气候条件，自明清时起，浙江绍兴会在夏至当天举行划龙舟比赛，而非在端午节。这项传统直到今天还保留着，参与者都十分热情。
Dragon Boat Festival：端午节
杯弓蛇影
你知道吗？“杯弓蛇影”这个成语是与夏至有关的，相关故事被记载在东汉学者应劭的《风俗通义》中。
A man named Du Xuan attended a banquet on Summer Solstice, where he mistook the shadow of a bow in his cup for a snake and he had to drink it out of fear. After the banquet, he felt chest pains and a bellyache and couldn't recover even after seeing many doctors. Finally, he found he had mistaken the shadow of a red crossbow on the wall for a snake in his cup and recovered. Later, people used this idiom to refer to people who are suspicious and frighten themselves.
相传杜宣在夏至这天参加了一场宴会，他将弓投在杯中的倒影误认为是蛇。出于对上司的惧怕，他硬着头皮喝下了酒。宴会后，他感到腹痛，即使看了许多医生也不见效。最后，他发现是自己误将墙上的红弓在杯中的倒影当作了蛇，于是便康复了。后来，人们用这个成语来指代那些疑神疑鬼吓唬自己的人。
bellyache：腹痛
有谚云：爱玩夏至日
夏至的记忆里有骄阳的炽热
也有戏水的清凉
欢迎大家分享自己精彩的夏日回忆哦
编辑：唐晓敏
参考：China Daily 百度百科 新华社
配图：视觉中国
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