双语说节气 - 小雪

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Snow, (Chinese: 小雪), the 20th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov 22 and ends on Dec 7.
中国传统的农历将一年分为24节气。小雪是一年中第20个节气，今年的小雪从11月22日开始，到12月7日结束。
Minor Snow refers to the time when it starts to snow, mostly in China’s northern areas, and the temperature continues to drop.
小雪指的是将要开始下雪——主要是中国北方地区、以及气温持续下降的时候。

小雪习俗：

① Making preserved pork 腌美味腊肉

After Minor Snow, the temperature declines sharply and the air becomes dry. It is the best time to start making preserved pork. Until the Chinese Spring Festival, it will be well made and enjoyed. In the past, when storage conditions were poor, people created many ways to store food. 
小雪过后，气温会急剧下降，空气也会变得干燥。正是开始腌制腊肉的最佳时间。到春节之前，这些腊肉会被腌制好，非常美味。在过去，当储存条件很差的时候，人们创造了许多方法来储存食物。腌制腊肉就是其中一种。如此一来，即使是在严寒的冬天，全家人也可以不用出门就享受美味的肉食。一些人甚至认为，腊肉比新鲜猪肉吃起来还要美味可口。

② Eating glutinous/ˈɡluːtənəs/ rice cake 吃香甜糍粑

In some areas of south China, people have glutinous rice cakes in the early 10th lunar month, which is around Minor Snow. In ancient times, glutinous rice cake was a traditional festival offering to the bull god used by peasants.
在我国一些南方地区，人们会在农历十月月初吃糍粑，此时大概就是小雪。在古代，糍粑是农民用来祭牛神的。

③ Drinking soup  喝汤

During Light Snow, indoor heating begins to work. Thus the air indoors is dry and most people might feel their nose and mouth are dry. Their inner heat energy can’t get out. Symptoms appear, including dental ulcers or more pimples on a person’s face. The way to solve this problem is to drink more hot soup, such as cabbage with bean curd soup, spinach with bean curd soup and mutton with radish soup.
在小雪期间，室内供暖已经开始了。由于室内空气非常干燥，大多数人可能会觉得口鼻很干。内火排不不来，口腔溃疡、脸上长痘等症状就会出现。解决这一问题的办法就是多喝点儿热汤，例如白菜豆腐汤、菠菜豆腐汤、羊肉萝卜汤等。

④ Avoiding spicy food 忌辛辣食物

On cold days, people want to have some hot and spicy food to keep warm. Experts say that it is wise not to eat overly spicy food, since that will enhance inner heat.
在寒冷的日子里，人们通常都吃一些又热又辣的食物来暖和身体。但是专家提倡不能吃过于辛辣的食物，因为那样可能会加重人体的内火。

小雪少辛辣，注意养生：
从这个节气开始，东北风刮得多了，由于气候虽冷却还没到严冬，很多人不太注意戴帽子和围巾，这样往往容易遭受风寒。小雪节气要增强体质、提高机体免疫力和抗寒能力。首先，要保证充足的睡眠，最好不要迟于22点休息。每晚用热水泡脚，多喝热水、蜂蜜水、萝卜水哦！~

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