The vernal equinox happens every year, yet most people don't know what it is or why it's important.

每年都会有春分，但是绝大多数人都不了解春分或者不清楚为什么春分具有重要的意义。

vernal equinox：春分

When is the first day of spring?

春天的第一天是什么时候？

Bring on March 20, 2023! You may have heard that the spring equinox is the official first day of spring, and it’s true that this auspicious event traditionally marked the start of spring for many different cultures as well as the start of the new year on ancient Indian and Persian calendars. Even today, the spring (or “vernal”) equinox, is often used to indicate the first day of spring. What it really signifies, though, is the astronomical start of spring as opposed to the meteorological one. Meteorological seasons are grouped by months and are based on weather and temperature shifts. Meteorologists and climatologists agree that the first real day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere should be March 1.

2023年春天的第一天是3月20日！你也许曾经听说过，春分代表春天正式开始。在许多不同的文化里，春分是一个吉祥的日子，它通常预示着春天的到来。在古代印度和波斯的日历中，春分也意味着新一年的开始。即使是在今天，春分也经常被用来表示春天的开始。那么，春分真正的意思是天文学意义上的春天的开始，这和气象学意义上的春天有区别。气象学意义上的四季按照月份来划分并取决于天气和气温的变化。气象学家和气候学家都认为北半球真正意义上的春天的第一天应该是3月1日。

What is the spring equinox?

什么是春分？

An equinox is a moment in time and space when the sun is positioned directly above the Earth’s equator, which happens just twice a year on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. In March (usually the 20th or 21st), the sun crosses the equator from south to north, bringing warmth and light back to the Northern Hemisphere and plunging the Southern Hemisphere into its fall and winter darkness. In September (around the 22nd or 23rd), the sun crosses back from south to north, heralding the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, and the start of spring in the Southern one.

昼夜平分点（春/秋分）是指太阳完全位于地球赤道正上方的时刻。昼夜平分点每年会出现两次，即春分和秋分。在3月（通常是20或21日），太阳由南至北穿过赤道，为北半球带来温暖和光照，同时也使南半球的光照变短并进入秋冬季。在9月（大约22日或23日），太阳从南到北穿回，预示着北半球秋天的开始，同时也预示着南半球春天的到来。

The word “equinox” has an interesting meaning

equinox这个词有一个有趣的含义

The word “equinox” comes from the Latin for “equal” and “night.” As the sun crosses the equator (Earth’s midline), the hours of daylight and nighttime are very nearly equal. The equinoxes are the only times when the sun rises directly due East and sets directly due West for everyone on Earth.

Equinox来自于拉丁语，表示“相等”和“夜晚”的意思。当太阳穿过赤道（地球中线），白天和夜晚的时长几乎完全相等。而equinox就是指太阳从正东方升起并从正西方落下的时刻。

There’s an equinox celebration involving an ancient serpent god

春分的庆祝活动-古代蛇神

In Mexico, in the ruins of the Mayan city Chichén Itzá, crowds gather at the ancient El Castillo pyramid every spring and fall equinox to witness an equinox celebration that dates back to the construction of the pyramid around 1,000 A.D. The Maya were skilled astronomers, and the pyramid is dedicated to the feathered serpent god, Quetzalcoatl. At sunset on the equinoxes, the angle of the sun creates shadows that look like a giant snake. The light-and-shadow snake appears to slither down the pyramid steps until it merges with the huge sculpted serpent’s head at the bottom.

在墨西哥玛雅城的古老遗址奇琴伊察，人们会在每年的春分和秋分时聚集在古老的卡斯蒂略金字塔来庆祝这一时刻。这一古老的庆祝活动可以追溯至公元1000年前后金字塔的建造时期。玛雅人是技能娴熟的天文学家，而金字塔则是供奉给羽蛇神Quetzacoatl的。在春/秋分这一天的日落时分，太阳光照的角度会形成一个影子，这个影子看上去像一条巨大的蛇。光影交织的蛇似乎在金字塔台阶上缓缓爬行直到其与底部巨大的蛇头雕塑融为一体。

slither ：滑行；蛇行；爬行

注：Chichén Itzá（奇琴伊察）：意即“在伊察的水井口”，是一处庞大的前哥伦布时期的考古遗址。

注：羽蛇神（Feathered Serpent）是在中部美洲文明中普遍信奉的神祇，形象通常被描绘为一条长满羽毛的蛇。按照传说，羽蛇主宰着晨星、发明书籍、历法，而且给人类带来玉米。羽蛇神还代表着死亡和重生，是祭司的守护神。

来源：读者文摘

编辑：译锐君

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