“暑退秋澄气转凉，日光夜色两均长。”秋分昼夜等长，气候逐渐凉爽，宜出游，宜放飞心情。（With the arrival of the autumn equinox, day and night are of equal length, and the climate gradually turns cooler, making it suitable for outdoor activities and relaxation.）

秋分（Autumn equinox），是二十四节气之第十六个节气，秋季第四个节气。在这一天，太阳到达黄经180°（秋分点），几乎直射地球赤道，全球各地昼夜等长。“秋分”有两层含义：其一，在这一天昼夜等长；其二，意味着暑热消退，凉意渐浓。（The term "autumn equinox" has two meanings: Firstly, it suggests day and night are equally long on that date; Secondly, it means the heat subsides while the coolness prevails.）按照我国古代以立春、立夏、立秋、立冬为四季开始的季节划分法，秋分日居秋季九十天之中，平分了秋季。（According to the traditional method of setting the Beginning of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter as the starting point of four different seasons, the autumn equinox falls in the ninety days of autumn, making the entire season equally divided.）在秋分时节，中国的华北地区开始播种冬小麦，有句在当地流传甚广的农谚如是说：“白露早，寒露迟，秋分种麦正当时”；而江南地区，则种起了新一批的水稻，有道是：“秋分天气白云来，处处好歌好稻栽”。

到了秋分，中国长江流域及其以北的广大地区，均先后进入了“候平均气温”划分的秋季，太阳直射的位置移至南半球，北半球得到的太阳辐射越来越少，而地面散失的热量却较多，气温降低的速度明显加快，因此人们才常说“一场秋雨一场寒”。（Towards the autumn equinox, China's Yangtze River basin and its vast areas to the north enter, one after another, into the span of autumn measured by "pentad average temperature". The subsolar point moves to the Southern Hemisphere, and the solar radiation diminishes in the Northern Hemisphere. In the meantime, the ground surface loses a significant quantity of heat, and the drop in temperature accelerates. Hence the old saying: "It is getting colder with every rainfall in the autumn."）

秋分节气到来之时，在一些保留此项传统习俗的地区，一些民间善言唱者（以此为艺谋生的人）就会挨家挨户地送“秋牛图”。“秋牛图”一般选用红纸或黄纸，取其吉祥寓意，印上全年农历节气和农夫耕田图样，因此得名“秋牛图”。

送图者主要说些与秋耕和农时有关的“吉利话”，每到一家就开始“即兴表演”，见到什么夸什么，夸到主人乐得给钱“打赏”为止。（The person sending the pictures more often than not presents some "good wishes" related to the act of autumn plowing and the farming season. An "improvisational performance" is always rendered amid each visit, as the person keeps praising everything in sight until some "tips" are rewarded by a fully pleased owner.） 言词虽随口而出，却句句有韵动听，俗称“说秋”；而“说秋人”，或者说是“送图者”，便会被亲切地称为“秋官”。

粘雀子嘴（Keep the sparrow beak "glued shut" with Sweet Dumplings）：

秋分这一天农民都按习俗放假，每家都要吃汤圆，而且还要十多个或二三十个不用包馅料的“汤团子”煮好，用细竹叉扦着置于室外田边地坎，名曰“粘雀子嘴”。其目的是防止雀子来啄食庄稼，也有盼望来年丰收的寓意。（The purpose is to prevent sparrows from pecking at crops, and it also has a symbolic meaning of praying for a good harvest in the coming year.）

放风筝（Fly the kites）：

秋分到了，凉风习习，秋高气爽，正是大人和孩子爱放风筝的时节。风筝有许多不同种类，其大者可达两米高，小的也有二、三尺。孩子们放风筝时，都要比试一番，看看谁的功夫“更到家”，谁的风筝放得更高、更远，那他就是“风筝王”。（When the children fly kites, they will compete to see who is more skillful. The person whose kite flies higher and farther will be "crowned" as the "king of kite flyers".）

竖鸡蛋（Make the eggs stand upright）：

“秋分到，蛋儿俏”。在秋分这天，很多人都会尝试“立蛋”。这是因为在秋分这天，南北半球昼夜平分，呈66.5°倾斜的地球地轴与地球绕太阳公转的轨道平面处于一种力的相对平衡状态，同时地球的磁场也相对平衡，因此蛋的站立性、稳定性最好。（This is because the autumn equinox is a time when both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere experience roughly equal amounts of daytime and nighttime, and the Earth's Axis, with an axial tilt of 66.5 degrees, is in a relative balance of forces with the plane of the Earth's orbit around the sun. Since the Earth's magnetic field is also relatively balanced, the egg shows the best stability in its stance.）

“秋分至，踏秋始”。在岭南地区，昔日四邑的开平苍城镇的谢姓有个不成节的习俗，叫做“秋分吃秋菜”。“秋菜”是一种野苋菜，乡人称之为“秋碧蒿”。逢秋分那天，全村人都去采摘秋菜。在田野中搜寻秋菜时，多见是嫩绿的，细细棵，约有巴掌那样大小。（On the day of the autumn equinox, the whole village flushes to pick autumn vegetables. This kind of vegetable looks tenderly green, has a thin stem, and is of the same size as an adult's palm.） 采回的秋菜一般家里与鱼片“滚汤”，名曰“秋汤”。当地流传着这样一句顺口溜：“秋汤灌脏，洗涤肝肠。阖家老少，平安健康。”因此吃秋菜也含着对健康的美好祝愿。

喝小吊梨汤（Drink the pear soup）：

小吊梨汤发源于北京，以冰糖与雪梨为主料制成，清爽顺口，清甜不腻。（Pear soup originates in Beijing. With rock candies and pears being its main ingredients, the soup tastes sweet and refreshing.） 秋季天气干燥，主要外邪为燥邪。秋分之后，阵阵秋风袭来，使气温逐渐下降，寒凉渐重，所以多出现凉燥。饮食调养方面，就需要多喝水，吃清润、温润的食物，如蜂蜜、梨以及芝麻、核桃、糯米等坚果谷物，小吊梨汤就可以起到滋阴润肺、养阴生津和防止凉燥的作用。

不同于冬日寒风的刺骨，夏日烈阳的炙烤，秋的热烈与绽放，显得刚刚好。不妨约上三五好友，多出去走走，把烦恼都抛诸脑后，让它们伴随着沁凉的风，一同消失无踪；举目的金灿都在预示着一场喜人的丰收，一切自然的景致都将给予你丰厚的馈赠，让你收获感官上的充实与丰盈。