又中又英 | Blue Monday | 褚简宁

　　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，将要来临的星期一，1月19日，是Blue Monday？我已久久忘了甚么蓝色星期一（Blue Monday），直至这个星期的一则新闻报道，唤起了我的记忆（jogged my memory）。它是每年第三个星期一。蓝色星期一（Blue Monday）被视为一年中最痛苦悲惨的一天。To jog someone’s memory是指去令那人记起某事。蓝色星期一（Blue Monday）被认为是年中最痛苦的一天，是因为它在人们于圣诞和新年假期旅行、家庭聚会、到餐厅进餐和交换礼物过后来临。

　　这个快乐时期所尾随的，是人们意识到在这一年稍后的日子前，他们都不能盼到长假期，而且必须缴付他们在圣诞和新年期间信用卡和其他度假开销的帐单。他们也不得不熬过寒冷而阴暗、少有阳光的冬天。蓝色星期一（Blue Mondays）主要是北半球西方国家的人所经历的。那儿有些人会受Seasonal Affective Disorder（或称SAD）之苦，这种季节性情感障碍是抑郁症的一种，它与季节的转变相关。英国心理学家克里夫．阿诺尔于2005年将一月第三个星期一定为蓝色星期一或忧郁星期一（Blue Monday），但其实蓝色星期一（Blue Monday）并没有科学依据。

　　我1月19日将会在香港度过，我肯定那对我来说不会是凄惨忧郁的蓝色星期一（Blue Monday）！我总是喜欢回到香港，长时间待在这里。这是我出生的地方。蓝色星期一（Blue Mondays）不大可能令香港人抑郁，因为他们可以期盼农历新年。香港的冬日较短，但它们并不像西方地区般寒冷，而且常有阳光。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁 
中译：七刻