5月20日，太阳运行至黄经60度，夏季的第二个节气——小满，如期而至。北方天气渐热，南方雨水频降。田地里丰收在望，枝头上杏肥梅黄。初夏时节，世界日渐繁茂。
Lesser Fullness is the eighth solar term of a year. It’s also known as “Xiaoman” in Chinese. It marks the second solar term of summer. People explain Lesser Fullness differently in southern and northern China. In the north, they think it’s when the seeds in the ground start to grow but aren’t ready to pick yet. While it gradually becomes hotter and wetter, the wheat and rice grow bigger. But in the south, Lesser Fullness means lots of rain. There’s a saying that goes, “When it rains a lot, the river gets full.” During this time, it gets really humid and rainy.
小满是一年中的第八个节气。它在中文中也被称为“小满”。它标志着夏季的第二个节气。在中国南方和北方，人们对小满的解释不同。在北方，他们认为这是地里的种子开始生长但还没有准备好采摘的时候。当天气逐渐变热变湿时，小麦和水稻会长得更大。但在南方，“小满”意味着大量降雨。有句谚语说：“小满多雨江河满。”在这段时间里，天气变得非常潮湿和多雨。
Rain is important for farming. So, in some villages, people will offer to the god of waterwheels as they help with irrigation for many centuries in China. Irrigation means watering the land and helping the plants grow. They usually do this by placing fish, meat and candles in front of the waterwheel. People also pour a bottle of water on farm lands, wishing for a lot of rain that farming needs.
雨水对农业很重要。因此，在一些村庄，人们会向水车车神献祭，因为他们在中国帮助灌溉了好几个世纪。灌溉意味着给土地浇水，帮助植物生长。他们通常把鱼、肉和蜡烛放在水车前。人们还把一瓶水倒在农田上，希望能有农业所需的大量雨水。
In southern China, people celebrate the birthday of the Goddess of Silk on Lesser Fullness. It’s said that she was the first person to raise silkworms and teach people how to make silk. During this time, the silkworms make cocoons (茧). People collect these cocoons to make silk. They pray to the Goddess of Silk for lots of silk.
在中国南方，人们在小满庆祝蚕神娘娘的生日。据说她是第一个养蚕和教人如何制作丝绸的人。在这段时间里，蚕会结茧。人们收集这些茧来制作丝绸。他们向蚕神娘娘祈求大量的丝绸。
During Lesser Fullness, the temperature rises. People are encouraged to keep healthy by eating more vitamins. Chinese people collected sowthistle (苦菜) from the wild. They taste bitter but can help calm the body in increasingly hot weather. People cook it in different ways like boiling or making salads. Besides, it is also a good time to eat fat fish as the rising water level results in rich freshwater food across China.
在小满时，温度会升高。人们被鼓励通过多吃维生素来保持健康。中国人从野外采集苦菜。它们尝起来很苦，但在越来越热的天气里可以帮助身体平静下来。人们用不同的方式烹饪，比如煮或做沙拉。此外，现在也是吃肥鱼的好时机，因为水位上升导致中国各地的淡水食物丰富。
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