【24节气英语说】白露 White Dew

白露是二十四节气中的第十五个节气，更是干支历申月的结束以及酉月的起始；时间点在公历每年9月7日到9日。《月令七十二候集解》中说：“八月节……阴气渐重，露凝而白也。” 天气渐转凉，会在清晨时分发现地面和叶子上有许多露珠，这是因夜晚水汽凝结在上面，所以得名。古人以四时配五行，秋属金，金色白，故以白形容秋露。白露实际上是表征天气已经转凉。

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides theyear into 24 solar terms. White Dew, (Chinese: 白露),the 15th solar term of the year, begins this year on Sept 8 and ends on Sept 22.White Dew indicates the real beginning of cool autumn. The temperature declinesgradually and vapors in the air often condense into white dew on the grass andtrees at night.

Varying bygeographical location, autumn comes earlier in the west and northeast of China.Right now Kanas in Xinjiang, Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan and the Greater KhinganMountains in Northeastern China are entering the most beautiful season of theyear.

From the first dayof White Dew and as the season progresses,  there is more and more dew. Although sunshine duringthe day makes it still hot, after sunset, temperatures decrease rapidly. Atnight, water vapor in the air turns into small drops of water  when it encounters cold temperatures. Thesewhite water-drops adhere to flowers, grass and trees. When the morning comes,sunshine makes them look crystal clear, spotless white and adorable.

Here are 8 thingsyou should know about White Dew.

Eating grapes

White Dew season comesright when grapes become widely available for sale. Eating grapes in autumn canhelp dispel one's internal heat and expel toxins.

Eating Longan

Longan fruit aroundWhite Dew is big, sweet and tastes great. There is a tradition in Fuzhou, EastChina’s Fujian province, that eating longan on the first day of White Dew canhelp nourish the human body. It is said that one longan is as nutritious as anegg. Although this sounds exaggerated, longan does reinforce the spleen,nourish the blood, calm the nerves and improve one’s looks.

White Dew Tea

Many regular teadrinkers in Nanjing favor White Dew Tea. Tea during White Dew has gone throughthe hot summer and is in its best state of growth. White Dew Tea is differentfrom spring tea, which is usually too tender and doesn't last long. It is alsodifferent from summer tea, which is dry and has a bitter flavor. White Dew Teainstead tastes sweet with a sweet fragrance.

White Dew Wine

For some people inNanjing, East China’s Jiangsu province, whose hometowns are in Zhejiangprovince or the southern part of Jiangsu province, it is traditional to makeWhite Dew Wine during this season. The wine is made of cereals, such aspolished glutinous rice and kaoliang (a specific type of sorghum) and tastes alittle sweet. In the past, country people in those regions all made the wineand served it to guests when entertaining.

Eating sweet potatoes

Many Chinesebelieve that the best food during White Dew is sweet potatoes. In the old days,peasants had the custom of eating sweet potato on the first day of White Dew.Besides being the No 1 vegetable against cancer, according to Chinese medicine,sweet potato can nourish the spleen. It can prolong life and reduce the risksof disease.

Ten "white" herbal medicines

People in Wenzhou, EastChina’s Zhejiang province, have a tradition of gathering 10 herbal medicines onthe first day of White Dew. The names of these herbal medicines all contain theChinese word "bai" which means white, such asbaimujin(white hibiscus). People believe that stewing these herbalmedicines with black-bone chicken or duck can nourish the human body and curearthritis.

Playing with swallow carts

In Tancheng county,East China’s Shandong province, children play with swallow handcarts, a sharpenedwooden cart in the shape of a swallow, on the first day of White Dew. People ofevery household there can make this kind of wooden toy, which can even makepleasing sounds. Pushing the swallow cars while running can help the childrenresist the cold and improve their bodily constitutions.

Offer sacrifices to Da Yu

White Dew is a timefor people in the Taihu Lake area of East China to offer sacrifices to Da Yu, ahero who tamed floods by regulating rivers and watercourses. On the first dayof White Dew, people also hold sacrificial rites for Da Yu on the eighth day ofthe first lunar month, on Tomb-sweeping Day, and on the seventh day of theseventh lunar month.