V-Learn万思乐学小西妈双语工程2006期262号Alvin-Day 41

Sunny

春分

鸡蛋

耕牛

风筝

鸡蛋壳

习俗

弹力

碳酸钙

游戏

人们

Field Trip: Spring Equinox

Equinox /ˈiːkwɪnɒks/ : 春分或秋分
one of the two times in the year (around 20 March and 22 September) when the sun is above the equator, also the day and night are of equal length 二分时刻；昼夜平分时；春分；秋分
About Spring Equinox 1. What does spring equinox mean, exactly?

The word “equinox” comes from the Latin words for “equal night”-aequus (equal) and nox (night). On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world.

2. When is the first day of spring?

In 2021, the March equinox happens on Saturday, March 20, at 5:37 A.M. In the Northern Hemisphere, this date marks the start of the spring season.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the March equinox marks the start of autumn, while the September equinox marks the start of spring.

3. Conclusion of Spring Equinox

a) One of the two times in a year when night and day are of equal length.
指⼀年中两次⽇夜平分的时刻。

b) On the day of the Spring Equinox, sun is directly above the equator.
在春分当天，太阳直射赤道。
c) 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，太阳向北移动，北半球的白天时间逐渐变长，南半球的夜晚变长.
4. Supplementary

a) Spring Equinox: the sun is overhead at the equator, the same length of day and night period.
b) Autumnal / Fall Equinox: the sun is overhead at the equator, the same length of day of night.
c) Summer Solstice (夏至): the sun is overhead at Tropic of Cancer, the day is the year’s longest in Northern Hemisphere.
d) Winter Solstice(冬至): the sun is overhead at Tropic of Capricorn, the day is the year’s shortest in Northern Hemisphere.

• Solstice /ˈsɑːlstɪs/ : 至、至日、至点
a) either of the two times of the year at which the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at midday, marked by the longest and shortest days 至（点）；（夏或冬）至
b) either of the two moments in the year when the Sun’s apparent path is farthest north or south from Earth’s Equator.
c) In the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 and the winter solstice on December 21 or 22. The situation is exactly the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed. At the winter solstice the day is the year’s shortest, and at the summer solstice it is the year’s longest.
Traditional customs of Spring Equinox 春分的习俗和讲究 1. Swallows fly north 燕⼦北飞 a).The ancient Chinese people divided the fifteen days of the Spring Equinox into three "hou's," or five-day parts.
中国古人把春分的十五天分为三个“候”，每个“候”即五天。

b). 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.
俗话说：一候玄鸟至，二候雷乃发声，三候始闪电；生动地揭示了了春分期间的⽓气候特征。

2. Egg-standing games 立蛋游戏 a).Standing an egg upright is a popular game across the country during the Spring Equinox. It is an old custom that dates back to 4,000 years ago. People practice this tradition to celebrate the coming of spring.
春分时节，各地都兴玩竖鸡蛋的游戏。这⼀古老习俗可追溯到4000 年年前。人们借这一传统庆祝春之来临。

b). It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.
人们相信，能立起鸡蛋的人，一定鸿运当头。
据分析，春分是玩这个游戏的最佳时间，因为在这一天，66.5度倾斜的地轴与地球绕太阳公转的轨道平面，刚好处于⼀种力的相对平衡状态，有利于立蛋。

3. Flying kites 放风筝 a).In ancient times, people did not have good medical resources. So to pray for health, they wrote their medical issues on paper kite. When the kite was in the air, people would cut off the string to let the paper kite float away, symbolizing the flying away of diseases.
古时医疗条件不佳, 为祈求健康，人们把所染疾病写在纸风筝上。风筝高飞时，就剪断风筝线，让它随风飘走，寓意疾病远离。
b). Later flying kites developed into a popular game of spring. On the Spring Equinox, people write a blessing on the kite, hoping that the gods in the sky would see it.
后来，放风筝渐渐成为人们在春天爱玩的游戏。春分时，人们在风筝上写下祝福，祈愿天上神灵能看见。
4. Eating spring vegetables 春分吃春菜 a).Eating spring vegetables during the Spring Equinox is a commonly practiced custom in many regions of China. 'Spring vegetables' refers to seasonal vegetables that differ from place to place.
在中国各地都有春分吃春菜的习俗。“春菜”指的是各地不同的时令蔬菜。
b). The ancient teachings in the Chinese classic, Huangdi Neijing, suggests that people eat seasonal foods to help preserve health and bring good luck.
中国古典名著《⻩黄帝内经》认为，吃时令食物有助养生，带来好运。
5. Reward farm cattle 犒劳耕牛 This practice is popular in the southern area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. 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.
江南地区流行犒劳耕牛。春分一到，耕牛即开始一年的劳作，农民以糯米团喂耕牛表示犒赏。
6. Make sacrifice to birds 祭祀百鸟

To thank them for bringing signals for farm work and to ask them not to eat grains later in the year.
人们还有祭祀百鸟的习俗，一则感谢它们提醒农时，二是希望⻦鸟类不要啄食五谷，祈祷丰年之意。

Dialogue about Spring Equinox M: Alvin, come here, look at this tellurion and find the place that we are living now.
A: We live in China.
M: Yes, can you find China on that tellurion?
A: It is here, like a chicken, with seas and mountains.
M: Yes. Look at that long circle, called equator, which divides our earth into two parts, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
A: Yes, I can see that long line, it is blue.
M: Is China in northern part or southern part?
A: China is in the northern part.
M: Great, China is in the northern part, and Guangdong province is in the south part of China. We live here.
M: So, how about your English teacher Ava from VIPKids? Does she live in the northern part?
A: No, she is from south American, lives in the southern part.
M: Good. Now, let us say something about Spring equinox. On that day, the sun is just above on the equator. So, the lengths of day time and night time are the same. The same status on Autumn equinox. That is to say, 12 hours for day time and 12 hours for night period, they are equal.
M: After the Spring equinox, in our Northern Hemisphere, the day will get longer and longer.
A: Oh, I know. And the nigh will get shorter and shorter.
M: Exactly correct. So, how about the Autumn equinox?
A: After Autumn equinox, the day will get shorter and shorter. The night will get longer and longer.
M: Great！
Family Fun: Egg-standing games M: Alvin, let us have a try on the Egg-standing game.
A: Okay, must be very interesting. I want have a try, I want to make the eggs standing on the floor.
M: We have two eggs now. Have one paper on the carpet/floor, hold the egg in your hand and make it upright on the paper one by one. Let me have a demonstration for you, you must be very careful and move your hand very softly. Look, I did it!
A: It is my turn, Mom. I can do it, too (then tried several times and made things happen)
M: Congratulations, Alvin, you did it, too. Do you know, in the old times, people usually play this game on Spring Equinox. They believe if someone can do that, he/she will have good luck in the whole year and get good harvest.
A: Can we try it next time again?
M: Yes, we can check whether we can do that next time. If you cannot make the eggs standing after Spring Equinox, you can try to add a little bit salt on the bottom of eggs. Salt will help you to upright the eggs.
Experiment- Dissolved Eggs in vinegar (小实验：醋酸溶解鸡蛋) Material: a raw egg, vinegar, bowl or cup
Step 1: prepare a raw egg and clean the egg in water.
Step 2: put the egg into a bowl
Step 3: pour enough vinegar into the bowl, which can cover the surface of that raw egg
Step 4: keep it for above 24 hours
Step 5: observe the egg, with some bubbles on its surface (鸡蛋表面会产生气泡)
Step 5: keep it for another 24 hours again
Step 6: observe the egg, you may find the egg shell peeling off from the egg. And the egg looks bright, touch it, with more elastic force, like a bouncy ball. (鸡蛋壳剥离及溶解，鸡蛋看起来很透明，充满弹力，像是一只小的弹力球).
原理

醋属于弱酸性，能和鸡蛋壳里的钙化物反应。鸡蛋壳的主要成分是碳酸钙，会和醋酸反应产生二氧化碳，二氧化碳会使鸡蛋重新上浮。 同时，碳酸钙在有水的条件下也会生成氢氧化钙，逐渐和醋起了中和反应，使得鸡蛋碳酸钙中的含量变少，鸡蛋逐渐软化并充满弹力。