A public holiday in ancient times

夏至在古代是公共節(jié)假日

Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty (260BC-220), when the Mid-autumn Festival and the Double Ninth Festival were not as important as they are today, the Summer Solstice was already celebrated.

在中國古代，夏至是一個很重要的節(jié)日。早在漢朝時期（公元前260年-公元220年），中秋和重陽還沒有像現(xiàn)在那么重要的時候，就已經(jīng)在慶祝夏至了。

Before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people even had a one-day holiday on Summer Solstice. According to Song Dynasty (960-1279) records, officials could have three days off during the Summer Solstice.

清朝（1644年-1911年）以前，人們甚至?xí)谙闹吝@天放一天假。根據(jù)宋朝（960年-1279年）文獻(xiàn)的記錄，官員在夏至可以放三天假。

To celebrate Summer Solstice, women gave colored fans and sachets to each other. Fans could help them cool down and the sachets could drive away mosquitoes and make them smell sweet.

為了慶祝夏至，婦女會互贈彩扇和香囊。扇子可以驅(qū)熱，香囊可以驅(qū)蚊抑臭。