一转眼，时间来到了2022年的11月，我们也迎来了本年度的最后一个季节——冬季。冬季代言词除了雪天、圣诞、热红酒，还有什么呢？今天我们就来拓宽一下意识边界，了解世界各地的一些冬季习俗。
1. Dongzhi Festival（中国——冬至吃饺子/汤圆）
Dongzhi is a Chinese festival that celebrates the arrival of the Winter Solstice（/ˈsɑːlstɪs/冬至）, and is related to the philosophy of Yin and Yang. According to the Chinese, Yang symbolizes the positive, and Yin is negative. The positive things will become stronger after the Solstice — longer daylight hours and an increase in positive energy flowing in. Families celebrate by gathering together and enjoying a large meal which includes dumplings, in part because of this ancient legend: a sympathetic physician fed the poor homeless people of his town dumplings to keep their ears from getting frostbite. Because of this, some of the dumplings served during the festival are shaped like ears.
【词汇学习】
Winter Solstice（/ˈsɑːlstɪs/冬至）
gather together聚会
get frostbite冻伤
2.Polar Bear Plunges or Dips （美国加拿大的传统冬季游泳项目——北极熊跳）
These events are held annually in January throughout many parts of the Northeastern United States and Canada to ring in the new year. Participants brave often sub-zero temps and plunge into a nearby body of water, quickly, foregoing wetsuits. The events are usually held to benefit a charity or bring awareness to a cause（为了慈善或事业筹款）.
【词汇学习】
plunge（尤指向水中）纵身投入，一头进入
dip 游
3.Krampus Run（澳大利亚——坎卜斯跑）
In Austria, Krampus comes and visits children but, unlike Santa, his visit is not welcome: Krampus seeks out only naughty children to punish them, and if he finds a particularly naughty one, he takes that child away with him in his sack. But the celebration comes when people dress up as witches and devils and take to the streets, carrying torches and causing mayhem, for the annual Krampus Run, which is designed to scare the “devil” out of people!
【词汇学习】
Krampus坎卜斯——“暗黑版”圣诞老人，是奥地利民间传说中一个半人半羊、类似于恶魔的角色。他会惩罚不听话的孩子，殴打他们，把他们拖进自己的巢穴甚至地狱。
dress up打扮
torch火把
mayhem混乱
4.Shoe Toss（捷克——扔鞋子）
On Christmas Day, Czech women throw a shoe at their house to determine if they’ll get married in the new year. How the shoe lands is key: if it lands with the heel facing the house, the woman can expect to be single throughout the next year.
【词汇学习】
toss v. （轻轻地）抛
