大寒是中國傳統二十四節氣（the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms）中的第二十四個節氣，也是農曆年中的最後一個節氣。和小寒Minor Cold對應，大寒的英語表達為Major Cold。
此時，窗外已是千裡冰封，萬裡雪飄，而屋內人們則開始熱火朝天地備年貨，灑掃除塵，團圓的喜氣為寒冷的冬天增添了不少暖意。
這一時期，雨雪冰凍天氣極大地影響了人們的生活。
During Major Cold, as the cold current moves southward, the weather becomes bitterly cold. Although modern meteorological observation shows that in some regions of China the weather during Major Cold is not colder than Minor Cold, the lowest temperatures of the whole year still occur in the Major Cold period in some coastal areas.
大寒時節，由於寒潮向南移動，天氣變得十分嚴寒。雖然現代氣象觀測顯示，大寒時期，中國一些地區並不比小寒時寒冷。但在某些沿海地區，全年最低溫度依然出現在大寒期間。
大寒有哪些習俗呢？一起來看看吧！
北京人有大寒吃「消寒糕」（年糕的一種）的習俗。消寒糕是年糕的一種，一般由糯米、紅棗、桂圓、核桃、白糖等材料製成，碳水豐富，食之可起到抗寒作用。
Sticky rice, the cake's major ingredient, contains more sugar than rice, which can make people feel warm all over their bodies. In Chinese, the word "rice cake" has the same pronunciation with the word "higher in a new year", which symbolizes good luck and continual promotion.
消寒糕的主要原料是糯米，其含糖量比大米高，可使人感到全身暖和。漢語中「年糕」和「年高」發音相同，寓意著吉祥如意、年年高升。
大寒時節經常與農曆歲末相吻合。古時除夕夜，人們把芝麻秸放在地上，讓孩子們來踩，諧音「踩歲（碎）」，有「歲歲平安」的寓意。
In some areas of China, people always fall over each other in eagerness to buy sesame straw during this period because of the old saying, "Rise joint by joint like sesame flowers on the stem." This saying is used to describe either ever-rising living standards or making steady progress in thought, studies or skills.
在中國的一些地區，大寒時人們經常爭相去買芝麻秸，因為有句老話講：「芝麻開花節節高。」這句話常被用來描述生活水平的不斷上升或思想、學習和技能方面的穩步提升。
fall over each other：爭先恐後地
春卷包含大量春天的蔬菜，營養豐富，既可當菜，也可作主食。在安徽安慶一帶，有大寒吃炸春卷的習俗。
People use a round, cooked, thin pancake to wrap stuffing in a thin roll. Then it is fried in a pan with oil until it turns yellow and floats to the top. The stuffing inside the spring roll contains meat or vegetables and the flavor can be salty or sweet.
人們用圓圓的熟的薄餅裹上餡料，捲成細卷，然後放入平底鍋中油炸，直至外皮金黃並浮上來。春卷的餡料包括肉類或蔬菜類，有鹹和甜兩種口味。
大寒期間，用羊肉、紅棗等熱性食材煲湯，可起到暖身滋補的養生效果。
Residents in Nanjing of Jiangsu province prefer to drink stewed soup during Major Cold, which can make people feel warm from head to foot. They always stew the aged hen soup with ginseng, wolfberry and black fungus.
南京人喜歡在大寒燉湯喝，可以讓人從頭暖到腳。人們將常用人參、枸杞和黑木耳燉老母雞湯。
俗話說：「冬季動一動，少鬧一場病」。在做好保暖工作的基礎上進行適量的運動，有助於強身健體。
There is a saying that goes, "Dripping water freezes during Minor and Major Cold." In various regions of China, Major Cold is the perfect time for winter sports such as skiing, ice skating and sledding.
有諺云：「小寒大寒，滴水成冰。」在中國各地，大寒是開展冬季運動的最佳時機，如滑雪，滑冰和乘雪橇等。
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參考：百度百科 China Daily 北京日報客戶端
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