【24节气英语说】处暑 End of Heat

处暑

处暑，是二十四节气之中的第14个节气，交节时间点在公历8月23日前后，太阳到达黄经150°。处暑的到来同时意味着进入干支历申月的下半月。

24 Solar Terms: 6 things you may not know about End of Heat

The traditional Chinese lunar calendardivides the year into 24 solar terms. End of Heat, (Chinese: 处暑), the 14th solar term ofthe year, begins this year on Aug 23 and ends on Sep 8.

End of Heat implies that most parts inChina are getting rid of the hot summer and entering autumn. But in some areas,especially in South China, autumn is late in coming and people are stillbothered by hot weather. End of Heat is also the busy harvest season for farmers.

The following are six things you shouldknow about End of Heat.

1、Enjoying fall colors in early September

In China, regions beyond the Great Wall will enter autumnin early September. People can enjoy the scenery as it changes gradually fromsummer to autumn.

2、Autumn weariness

There is a saying that, "People tend to feel sleepyin spring, doze in summer and feel tired in autumn." As the weatherbecomes cool during End of Heat, many people will feel languid and weary, whichis called "autumn weariness". It is a sign that the human body needsrest, since people have consumed excessive energy in the summer. Get enoughsleep, do more exercises and keep plants indoor to help.

3、Enjoying clouds

When the End of Heat comes, summer heat is gone. Cloudsin the sky scatter around forming different shapes. There is a saying thatgoes, "Enjoying the clouds of various forms in July and August (lunarmonth)."

4、Time for night-blooming cereus

The night-blooming cereus is a flower full of mystery,which often blooms during the period of End of Heat. This is because theclimate during End of Heat, characterized by warm days and cold nights, issimilar to tropical deserts. Night-blooming cereus originates in the tropicaldeserts from Mexico to Brazil in South America. They blossom at night to avoidthe blazing daytime sun.

5、Eating Duck

Duck has a sweet flavor and according to Chinesetraditional medicine it has a "cool" nature. A folk tradition is toeat duck during the End of Heat period. There are many recipes for cooking ducksuch as roast duck, cooked duck with lemon, smoked duck with walnut dressingand sautéed duck with ginger shoots. The tradition of eating duck during theEnd of Heat period is still popular in China.

6、The Fishing Season Festival

For fishermen, the End of Heat is a season of harvest.During this period, the Fishing Season Festival is held in regions along thecoastline of the East China Sea in Zhejiang province. The festival is held onthe day when the fishing ban ends and fishermen can start fishing again. Due tohigh temperatures in the sea, stocks of fish remain and become mature. Peoplecan enjoy many kinds of seafood during this period.