又中又英 | Blue Monday | 褚簡寧

　　Did you know that this coming Monday, January 19, is Blue Monday? I had long forgotten about Blue Monday until a news article this week jogged my memory. It is on the third Monday of January each year. Blue Monday is supposed to be the most miserable day of the year. To jog someone’s memory means to make that person remember something. Blue Monday is considered the most miserable day of the year because it comes after the Christmas and New Year holidays when people travel, have family gatherings, eat in restaurants, and exchange presents.

　　This happy period is followed by the realization that people cannot look forward to long holidays until much later in the year and must pay their credit card and other bills for holidays during Christmas and New Year. They must also go through cold and dark winter days with little sunlight. Blue Mondays are mostly felt in Western countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Some people there suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD which is a type of depression linked to seasonal change. British psychologist Cliff Arnall named the third Monday of January Blue Monday in 2005, but Blue Monday has no scientific basis.

　　I will be spending January 19 in Hong Kong but am sure it will not be a miserable Blue Monday for me! I always enjoy returning to Hong Kong for extended stays. It is where I was born. Blue Mondays are unlikely to make Hong Kong people miserable because they can look forward to Chinese New Year. Hong Kong’s winter days are short, but they are not as cold as in the West and there is often sunlight.

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　　你可知道，將要來臨的星期一，1月19日，是Blue Monday？我已久久忘了甚麼藍色星期一（Blue Monday），直至這個星期的一則新聞報道，喚起了我的記憶（jogged my memory）。它是每年第三個星期一。藍色星期一（Blue Monday）被視為一年中最痛苦悲慘的一天。To jog someone’s memory是指去令那人記起某事。藍色星期一（Blue Monday）被認為是年中最痛苦的一天，是因為它在人們於聖誕和新年假期旅行、家庭聚會、到餐廳進餐和交換禮物過後來臨。

　　這個快樂時期所尾隨的，是人們意識到在這一年稍後的日子前，他們都不能盼到長假期，而且必須繳付他們在聖誕和新年期間信用卡和其他度假開銷的帳單。他們也不得不熬過寒冷而陰暗、少有陽光的冬天。藍色星期一（Blue Mondays）主要是北半球西方國家的人所經歷的。那兒有些人會受Seasonal Affective Disorder（或稱SAD）之苦，這種季節性情感障礙是抑鬱症的一種，它與季節的轉變相關。英國心理學家克里夫．阿諾爾於2005年將一月第三個星期一定為藍色星期一或憂鬱星期一（Blue Monday），但其實藍色星期一（Blue Monday）並沒有科學依據。

　　我1月19日將會在香港度過，我肯定那對我來說不會是悽慘憂鬱的藍色星期一（Blue Monday）！我總是喜歡回到香港，長時間待在這裏。這是我出生的地方。藍色星期一（Blue Mondays）不大可能令香港人抑鬱，因為他們可以期盼農曆新年。香港的冬日較短，但它們並不像西方地區般寒冷，而且常有陽光。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧 
中譯：七刻