The Beginning of Spring is the first solar term in the 24 solar terms and marks the coming of spring. The date for The Beginning of Spring begins this year on February 4th and ends on February 18th.
立春是二十四节气中的第一个节气，标志着春天的到来。今年立春自2月4日开始到2月18日结束。
Generally, from the Beginning of Spring, the weather becomes warm again and people will gradually smell the scents of early spring. In Chinese, "Li" means the beginning, and "Chun" is spring, a symbol of warmth and growth. After that, everything turns green and becomes full of vigor. People clearly can notice that the daytime becomes longer and the weather gets warmer.
通常，从立春开始，天气开始回暖，人们逐渐可以嗅到早春的气息。立，是“开始”之意；春，代表着温暖、生长。立春节后，植物转绿，焕发勃勃生机。人们可以清楚地注意到白天的时间变得更长，天气也愈发温暖了。
Ancient Chinese people judged the changes of the festivals based on the changes of the main physical phenomena. The Beginning of Spring is divided into three pentads with three phenomena to observe.
中国古人根据主要物候的变化来判断节气的变化。立春也有三种典型的物候可以观察。
The first pentad, east wind contact cold. After the Beginning of Spring, the warm air flow moves east and the temperature rises to thaw the earth. The spring breeze brings warm wind, which is not only warm in itself, but also contains a message that spring is coming, the earth is beginning to thaw, and everything is about to wake up.
第一候“东风解冻”。立春后，暖气流东移，气温回升使大地解冻。春风送来了暖风，这温暖不仅包含春风本身的和煦，还包含着一种讯息，即春天来了，大地开始解冻，万物即将苏醒。
The second pentad, dormant bugs begin to wake up. After the Beginning of Spring, insects that hid in caves in winter slowly come to life as the ground becomes softer due to warmer weather.
第二候“蛰虫始振”。立春后，冬天蛰伏的虫类，因为天气变暖、土地回软，慢慢从洞中苏醒过来。
The third pentad, the fish bears the ice. In the north, the surface of the water freezes during the peak cold, but the bottom seems warmer, where fish lurk and wait quietly for spring. In spring, the ice on the water surface begins to melt. Fish quickly sense the change and scramble to the surface of the water to swim in the cracks between the ice and the ice that has not completely melted. Therefore, it is called "ice on fish" in ancient times.
第三候“鱼陟负冰”。在北方，盛寒时水面虽结冻，水底比较暖和，鱼儿潜伏在水底静候春天的到来。开春后，水面温度升高冰雪融化，鱼儿争先恐后在尚未完全融化的冰块和冰片缝隙间游动，因此古时称为“鱼上冰”。
Spring is the best time to fly kites. Kite flying has been a traditional folklore activity in China for more than 2,000 years. It can help build one’s health and prevent diseases. It also has the effect of promoting blood circulation and speeding up metabolism. A breath of fresh air outside can discharge the foul smell accumulated in winter.
春天是放风筝的最佳时节。放风筝这项传统民俗活动在中国已有超两千年的历史。放风筝可以帮助人们强身健体，预防疾病。它有助于促进血液循环，加速新陈代谢。在室外呼吸一下新鲜空气，可以排出体内沉积了一整个冬天的浊气。
In China, it is said that the egg can be set upright on the first day of the Start of Spring, Spring Equinox Day and Autumn Equinox Day. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand on the first day of the Start of Spring, he will have good luck in the future.
在中国，传说在立春、春分和秋分的时候，鸡蛋可以被立起。人们认为，如果有人能在立春的时候把鸡蛋立起来，他在未来就会交到好运。
Flowers bloom in the world, things begin today. A new cycle, a new beginning, I wish you all good luck in the new year!
花开世间，物始今朝。新的轮回，新的开始，祝大家在新的一年里，好运连连！
Author: Zhao Xiuran
Date: February 8, 2024
