春分，是中国传统二十四节气（the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms）中的第四个节气。

春分的“分”有两个含义，一个是“昼夜平分”，在春分这天，太阳直射赤道，昼夜等长。

After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in gradually longer day time in the Northern Hemisphere and longer night in the Southern Hemisphere.

春分过后，太阳直射点向北移动，导致北半球白昼逐渐变长，南半球的夜越来越长。

hemisphere /ˈhemɪsfɪə(r)/ ：半球

春分的另一个含义是“季节平分”。古时以立春到立夏之间为春季，而春分日正处于两个节气之中，正好平分了春季。昼夜平分点的英文表达为“Equinox [ˈekwɪnɑːks]”，所以春分是The Spring Equinox。

除此之外，春分节气还有哪些文化习俗呢？一起来看看吧。

古时中国人将春分节气的十五天划分为三“候”，每个部分为五天。古代便有“一候玄鸟至，二候雷乃发声，三候始电”的俗语。这种划分也揭示了春分的气候特点。

As the old saying goes, swallows fly back to the North in the first hou; thunder cracks the sky in the second hou; lightning occurs frequently in the third hou, which vividly reveals the climate feature during the Spring Equinox.

如古话所言，燕子会在“一候”的时候飞回北方；滚滚春雷则发生在“二候”；到了“三候”，闪电会频繁出现。这种划分揭示了春分的气候特点。

swallow /ˈswɒləʊ/ ：燕子

还记得在“立春”篇中提到的“立鸡蛋”活动吗？“春分到，蛋儿俏”，这项具有千年历史传统的迎春活动在春分也十分盛行。

axis /ˈæksɪs/ ：轴

orbital /ˈɔːbɪtl/：轨道的

plane：平面

在一些地区，春分期间吃春季时蔬是非常普遍的习俗。而各地的春季时蔬，又不尽相同。

'Spring vegetables' refers to seasonal vegetables that differ from place to place. The ancient teachings in the Chinese classic, Huangdi Neijing, suggest that people eat seasonal foods to help preserve health and bring good luck.

“春季时蔬”指的是季节性的蔬菜，各地之间各不相同。中国医学典籍《黄帝内经》建议人们食用应季的蔬菜，有助于保持健康，带来好运。

春分期间，北京当地人有祭祀“太阳神”的传统。这一传统被称为“中和节”，用小麦和糖制作的“太阳糕”，则是主要贡品。

In the Ming Dynasty (1368－1644) and Qing Dynasty (1636—1912), the imperial family held this ritual in Ritan park every Spring Equinox. The Ritan park gradually became a common place for public recreation. However, the practice still exists among the public.

在明代和清代，每个春分日皇室都会在日坛举行祭祀“太阳神”的仪式。后来日坛公园逐渐成为公众娱乐的普通场所，不过祭祀活动在老百姓中依然存在。

ritual /ˈrɪtʃuəl/  ：仪式

recreation /ˌriːkriˈeɪʃn/：娱乐；消遣

民间有“春分麦起身，一刻值千金”的说法，在即将开始新一年的劳作之前，农民会犒劳重要的“劳动力”——耕牛，以示奖赏。犒劳耕牛的习俗在长江下游的南部地区十分常见。

As the Spring Equinox comes, farm work starts and both the farmers and the cattle start to become busy. Farmers will reward cattle with sticky rice balls to express their gratefulness. Meanwhile, people will also make sacrifice to birds, to thank them for bringing signals for farm work and to ask them not to eat grains later in the year.

春分到来之际，农活便开始了，农民和耕牛都忙了起来。农民会奖励糯米团给耕牛，以示他们的感激之情。与此同时，人们也会给鸟儿准备供品，感谢它们带来农耕的信号，请求它们在收获季不要啃食谷物。