导读:冬至是一年当中第22个节气，今年的冬至从12月21日起，到明年1月4日结束。说道冬至最少不了的就是吃，无论是北方吃饺子，还是南方吃馄饨、汤圆，本文列举了关于冬至你可能不知道的9件事。
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Winter Solstice (Chinese: 冬至), the 22nd solar term of the year, begins this year on Dec 21 and ends on Jan 4.
中国传统的农历将一年分为24个节气。冬至是一年中第22个节气，今年的冬至从12月21日起，至明年1月4日结束。
On the first day of Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night in the year, as the sun shines directly at the Tropic of Capricorn. From then on, the days become longer and the nights become shorter. The Winter Solstice also marks the arrival of the coldest season in the year. Here are nine things you should know about Winter Solstice.
在冬至第一天，北半球会经历一年当中最短的白天和最长的黑夜，因为此时太阳直射南回归线。从这时起，白昼会逐渐变长、黑夜却越来越短。冬至也标志着一年当中最冷季节的到来。以下是你应该知道的关于冬至的9件事。
The Winter Solstice Festival
一、冬至节。
There was a saying that went in ancient China, "The Winter Solstice is as significant as the Spring Festival."
中国古代有句老话叫“冬至大过年”。
As early as Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-256BC), people worshipped the gods on the first day of the Winter Solstice, which was also the first day of the new year. The Winter Solstice became a winter festival during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD). The celebratory activities were officially organized. On this day, both officials and common people would have a rest.
早在周朝（公元前11世纪-公元前256年）的时候，人们会在冬至第一天祭神，当时冬至也是新年的第一天。在汉朝（公元前206年-公元220年）的时候冬至成为了一个冬节。官方会举行正式的庆祝活动。在这一天，官员和普通老百姓都会休息。
During subsequent dynasties, such as the Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), the Winter Solstice was a day to offer sacrifices to Heaven and to ancestors.
在随后诸如唐（618-907）、宋（960-1279）、清（1644-1911）等朝代，冬至是祭天和祭祖的日子。
Eating nuts
二、吃坚果养肾强脑。
When midwinter comes, vital movement begins to decline and calm down. In this period, eating an appropriate amount of nuts, such as peanuts, walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, is good for one’s body. Traditional Chinese medical science teaches that the quality of a nut is tepidity and most nuts have the function of nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the brain and heart.
当冬至来临，生命活动会开始减少并平寂下来。这时候吃适量的坚果，例如花生、核桃、栗子、榛子和杏仁等，对人的身体很有好处。中医传统理论认为，坚果性温，大部分坚果都有滋养肾脏、强脑强心的功效。
Eating dumplings
三、北方吃饺子大快朵颐。
During Winter Solstice in North China, eating dumplings is essential to the festival. There is a saying that goes "Have dumplings on the first day of Winter Solstice and noodles on the first day of Summer Solstice."
在北方，冬至那天吃饺子是必不可少的。俗话说“冬至饺子夏至面”。
Eating wontons
四、南方吃馄饨美味鲜香。
People in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, are accustomed to eating wontons in midwinter. According to legend, during the midwinter feast 2,500 years ago, the King of Wu (one of the states during the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period) was disgusted with all kinds of costly foods and wanted to eat something different. Then, the beauty Xishi came into the kitchen to make "wontons" to honor the king’s wish. He ate a lot and liked the food very much. To commemorate Xishi, the people of Suzhou made wontons the official food to celebrate the festival.
江苏苏州的人们都有在冬至那天吃馄饨的习俗。据传，在2500年前的冬至宴席上，吴国（西周和春秋时期的一个国家）国王对各种名贵的食物都不喜欢，想要吃一点特别的东西。然后，美女西施下厨给他做了一碗“馄饨”，满足了他的愿望。吴王吃了很多，表示非常喜欢这种食物。为了纪念西施，苏州的人们把馄饨作为庆祝冬至节的官方食物。
Eating tangyuan
五、软糯汤圆。
In places such as Shanghai, people eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour to celebrate Winter Solstice.
在上海等地区，人们会吃汤圆来庆祝冬至。
Eating mutton and vermicelli soup
六、羊肉粉丝汤。
In Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, people call midwinter the "Ghost Festival". On that day, it is customary for people there to drink mutton and vermicelli soup and eat the dumplings in the soup. They give the midwinter soup a strange name: "brain" and share it with their neighbors.
在宁夏银川，人们将冬至称为“鬼节”。在那一天，人们习惯吃羊肉粉丝汤和汤饺。他们给冬至的汤起了一个奇怪的名字叫“头脑”，而且还会和邻居们一起分享。
Eating rice cakes
七、香甜年糕。
During the Winter Solstice, Hangzhou residents traditionally eat rice cakes. In the past, before the approach of the winter solstice, every household would make the cakes to worship their ancestors or use as gifts for relatives and friends. Today, though fewer families eat home-made cakes, people there still buy rice cakes for the Winter Solstice Festival.
冬至期间，杭州的人们按照传统都会吃年糕。在过去，冬至来临前每家每户都会制作年糕来祭祖、或者作为走亲访友的礼物。现在虽然越来越少的家庭会吃自制的年糕，但是这里的人们仍然会为冬至而购买年糕。
Offering nine-layer cakes to ancestors
八、九层糕祭祖。
Taiwan residents keep the custom of offering nine-layer cakes to their ancestors. People with the same surname or family clan gather at their ancestral temples to worship their ancestors in order of their ages. After the sacrificial ceremony, there is always a grand banquet.
台湾的人们保留了用九层糕祭祖的习俗。同宗同族的人们齐聚在先祖祠堂，按年龄祭拜祖先。在祭祀仪式之后往往会有一顿丰盛的大餐。
Eating red-bean and glutinous rice
九、红豆糯米饭。
In some regions south of the Yangtze River on the first day of Winter Solstice, the whole family gets together to have a meal made of red-bean and glutinous rice to drive away ghosts and other evil things.
在长江以南部分地区，全家人会在冬至第一天聚在一起享用一顿有红豆糯米饭的大餐，从而躯干鬼魂和其他邪恶的东西。
