春暮·雨降·谷生
二十四节气中的中华文化之谷雨（中文版）
赏花品茶话谷雨
作者：肖潇
谷雨，是二十四节气中的第六个节气，也是春季的最后一个节气。
“清明断雪，谷雨断霜”，谷雨的到来意味着寒冷天气基本结束，夏天正向我们“奔跑”而来。柳絮飞落，杜鹃鸣啼，牡丹吐蕊，樱桃红熟……谷雨时节降水增多，不仅催生了花红柳绿的盎然春色，更利于水稻、玉米、棉花等各类作物的生长，正如农谚所说：“谷雨种棉花，能长好疙瘩”，所以谷雨也有“雨生百谷”之意。
“谷雨三朝看牡丹”，赏牡丹是谷雨节气的重要习俗之一。在中国传统文化中，牡丹因其雍容华贵、端庄富丽而引发人们的诸多联想，自古以来就备受文人墨客的青睐：“庭前芍药妖无格，池上芙蕖净少情。唯有牡丹真国色，花开时节动京城。”在人们的心目中，牡丹不仅是美的化身，更象征国家繁荣昌盛，寓意家中富贵平安。谷雨时节，在家中摆上一盆牡丹，或是去花会上畅游花海，都能从那淡雅、悠长的花香中感受到春天的气息和生活的美好。
“正好清明连谷雨，一杯香茗坐其间。”品茶同样是谷雨时节的重要习俗。相比清明之前的“明前茶”，谷雨时节的茶叶色泽翠绿、叶质柔软，味道同样醇厚悠长，更有清火、辟邪、明目的功效。茶农们通常会在谷雨节气到来的这一天，去茶山摘一些新茶留起来自己喝或用作招待客人。他们在端上茶的时候，会颇为炫耀地对客人说：“这可是谷雨那天的茶哦！”言下之意，只有贵客来了才会拿出这样的好茶。
此外，祭海、食香椿、灭虫、祭祀仓颉等皆是谷雨节气的民间习俗。也许，对于生活在城市中的人们而言，这些节气习俗已经逐渐变得陌生，但比起习俗本身，更为重要的是其背后蕴含的深厚的文化内涵。“春雨惊春清谷天，夏满芒夏暑相连”，节气规律是我国劳动人民长期对天文、气象、物候进行观测、探索、总结的结果。它在为我们指导生产、安排生活的同时，也提醒着我们，不要间断对世界的观察和思考，更不要停止从自然的规律中提炼生活的智慧。
二十四节气中的中华文化之谷雨（英文版）
Guyu, or the Grain Rain, is the 6th of the 24 solar terms and the last one in spring. As the Chinese saying goes, “snow terminates at Qingming, while frost terminates at Guyu.” The arrival of Guyu means cold weather basically comes to an end and summer is on the way. With flying catkins, singing birds, blooming peonies and ripening cherries, Guyu brings a rainy season. The increase of precipitation not only gives birth to colorful spring sceneries, but also benefits the growth of rice, corn, cotton and other crops. Therefore, Guyu, the Grain Rain implies “Rain Produces Hundreds of Grains”.
Appreciating peonies is an important custom in the solar term of Guyu. In traditional Chinese culture, due to its beauty and elegance, peony has aroused many people’s associations and has been favoured by poets since ancient times. A poem ever said, “Only peony is the true national beauty. Its blooming season makes the entire capital impressed.” In people’s minds, peony is not only the embodiment of beauty, but also the symbol of national prosperity, implying wealth and peace in the family. In the solar term of Guyu, you can either put a pot of peony at home, or go to see the flowers on the fair. From the fragrance of flowers, you can feel the breath of spring and the happiness of life.
Tea tasting is another important custom in this solar term. Compared with the tea before Qingming Festival, the tea leaves in Guyu are greener in color, softer in texture, mellower in taste, and better for the health. On the first day of Guyu, tea farmers usually go to the mountains to pick some new tea leaves and reserve for drinking.
Apart from these, offering sacrifices to the sea, eating Chinese toon, killing insects are also the folk customs in Guyu solar term. But more important than customs themselves, are the profound cultural connotations behind them. The law of solar terms is the result of Chinese working people’s long-time observation, exploration and summary of astronomy, meteorology and phenology. While guiding production and arranging life for us, it also reminds us never stop observing and thinking about the world, and never stop extracting the wisdom of life from the laws of nature.
落花人独立，微雨燕双飞
谷雨时节
花已落，燕又来
有暖意，但热未至
有凉风，但寒已消
正是不冷不热时候
宜赏花品茗
珍惜晚春
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出品：光明日报&中国传媒大学
文字素材：《光明日报》2020年04月19日09版，作者 肖潇
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