What is Winter Solstice? What are the customs of the winter solstice?

Winter solstice (winter solstice) is a very important solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar, but also a traditional festival of the Chinese nation, the winter solstice is commonly known as the "winter festival", "long solstice festival", "sub year", etc., as early as 2,500 years ago in the Spring and Autumn Period, China has used Tugui to observe the sun, determined the winter solstice, it is the earliest of the 24 solar terms, the time is between December 21 and 23 of the solar calendar every year, this day is the shortest day in the northern hemisphere throughout the year, The longest day of the night; Most of northern China still has the custom of eating dumplings and eating dumplings in the south on this day, proverb: when the winter solstice arrives, eat dumplings

The winter solstice is the sun located at 270 degrees of yellow longitude, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, it is the longest day of the shortest day in the northern hemisphere in a year, its time is between December 21 or 23 of the solar calendar, the winter solstice is one of the 24 solar terms, is one of the most important solar terms. The winter solstice is divided into solar terms according to astronomy, which was called "short days" and "short solstice" in ancient times.

Most of the northern regions have the custom of eating dumplings on this day, proverb: when the winter solstice arrives, eat dumplings (in the south, there is a custom of eating rice balls).

The winter solstice refers to the day of the year when the day is the shortest and the night is the longest, and the customs vary from place to place, and it is usually the eating of dumplings.

The winter solstice means that the cold winter is coming. The custom of the winter solstice is to eat laba porridge.

The south sweeps the tomb twice a year, once during the Qingming Festival and once on the winter solstice.

The customs of the winter solstice are: sacrifice, prayer, eating dumplings, Jiujiu to cool off, eating glutinous rice balls, eating mochi and so on.

Introduction to the winter solstice. The winter solstice, also known as the southern solstice, the winter festival, the sub-year, etc., has both natural and humanistic connotations, which is not only an important solar term in the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional Chinese folk ancestor worship festival.

The winter solstice is the 22nd solar term of the "24 solar terms", with the sun yellow longitude reaching 270 °, and it is delivered on December 21-23 of the Gregorian calendar every year.

The winter solstice is the extreme of the sun's direct southward point, the day of the winter solstice, the sun's rays directly hit the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun's light is the most inclined to the northern hemisphere, the sun's altitude angle is the smallest, and it is the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere.

The winter solstice is also the turning point of the direct sun's return to the north, after which it will take the "turning back", the direct sun point will begin to move northward from the Tropic of Cancer (23°26 s), and the days in the northern hemisphere (China is located in the northern hemisphere) will increase day by day.

The custom of the winter solstice is dumplings, so it is said that the winter solstice does not eat meat and freezes off the toes.

The winter solstice is a very important solar term in China's lunar calendar, and it is also a traditional festival. So what are the customs of the Winter Solstice Festival?

In many places, there is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the year", so many customs have been formed, mainly in the diet, such as eating dog meat, wontons, dumplings, glutinous rice balls, red bean porridge, millet rice cakes, wine, etc. In some places, there is also the winter solstice to worship ancestors.

In the Jiangnan area, there is also the custom of the whole family gathering to eat red beans and glutinous rice on the night of the winter solstice. There's a story to that too. Legend has it that a man named Gonggong, whose son was not talented, did many evils, died on the day of the winter solstice, became a plague ghost, and continued to kill the people.

But this plague ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice on the day of the winter solstice to eat, so that they can drive away the plague ghosts and prevent disasters and diseases. In addition, some places also eat rice cakes, soba noodles, nine-layer cakes, etc., and "cake" and "high" are homophonic, meaning step by step.

In many places, dog meat is eaten on the winter solstice. It is said that this began with Zheng Tang in the Han Dynasty. Xiangchang respects the Han Gaozu Liu Bang on the day of the winter solstice to eat the dog meat cooked by Fan He, and felt that the taste was particularly delicious, and he was full of praise.

As a result, the custom of eating dog meat on the winter solstice was formed among the people. Regardless of whether this legend is reliable or not, eating a little dog meat in winter can indeed ward off the cold and warm up.

1. Eating glutinous rice balls in Guangzhou and glutinous rice on the winter solstice is a traditional custom in China, especially prevalent in Guangdong. There is a folk saying that "one year older after eating glutinous rice balls". Guangzhou winter solstice rice balls are also called soup balls, and winter solstice soup balls are also called "winter solstice balls".

Many of Lao Guang's winter solstice memories when he was a child are inseparable from a reunion dinner.

2. He Dazi eats sweet pills: According to legend, the winter solstice in the Han Dynasty has the custom of "eating wine and food, and greeting the elderly". Since the Song Dynasty and Lu Leak Yuan, the tide custom has prevailed to eat sweet pills.

Sweet pills are a sweet soup made from glutinous rice grinding and water rubbing pills, and they are the most representative food on the winter solstice. Before the winter solstice, the peasant housewives have scooped glutinous rice flour (now mostly machine-rolled), some of which are interconnected, and gifted to relatives and friends.

3. Eating glutinous rice balls: Eating glutinous rice balls has been customary in the Ming and Qing dynasties. On the day of the winter solstice, it is necessary to "make flour balls" or "flour glutinous rice for pills".

These are also officially recorded in historical materials, called "Winter solstice, flour glutinous rice is pills, and the name is glutinous rice balls." After making the rice balls, it is necessary to worship the gods and ancestors, and then eat the rice balls around the family, which is called "Tian Sui". Therefore, eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice is ancient.

4. Eat roast meat: On the day of the winter solstice, most Cantonese people have the custom of eating winter solstice meat with "vegetables". Among them, roast meat is an indispensable traditional food on the winter solstice table of Cantonese people. In addition to worshipping their ancestors, the whole family prepares some bacon and sausages to eat to pray for good luck in the coming year.

Dumplings are eaten in the north, and glutinous rice balls are eaten in the south.

Today's winter solstice solar term, some traditional activities will be held in various places, and these activities are different, some places will worship ancestors, some places will sweep tombs, etc., of course, many places will eat important food to celebrate. So, what are the customs of the winter solstice over there? What are the traditional activities around the winter solstice?

Let's find out. 1. Draw nine.

The so-called painting nine is actually a diagram for calculating the spring warm date after the winter solstice. The Ming Dynasty's "Imperial Scenery and Things" contains: "On the winter solstice, a branch of Sumei is painted, and there is one in eighty petals.

The sun dyes a petal, the petal is exhausted and the ninety-nine is out, then the spring is deep, and it is said that the ninety-nine cold picture". There are three kinds of schemas, namely text, circle, and plum blossom.

2. Brew rice wine.

The traditional Gusu family will drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice, and the glutinous rice or yellow rice used for winter wine will be brewed with osmanthus flowers.

3. Eat glutinous rice balls.

Eating glutinous rice balls is a traditional custom on the winter solstice, especially prevalent in Jiangnan. "Tangyuan" is a necessary food for the winter solstice, "round" means "reunion" and "consummation" silver luck, and eating tangyuan on the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice round". There is a folk saying that "one year older after eating glutinous rice balls".

4. Eat roasted meat and ginger rice.

On the day of the winter solstice, the dried roasted meat has become an indispensable delicacy on the table of Liangguang, which means adding vegetables to add more years. On the day of the winter solstice, the people of Wuchuan have the custom of "eating ginger rice" on the winter solstice.

5. Eat dumplings.

In many areas of northern China, on the winter solstice every year, there is a custom of eating dumplings. The northern region of our country wants to eat dumplings on this day, because dumplings have the meaning of "chilling", and there is still a folk proverb that "the winter solstice does not serve dumpling bowls, and no one cares about freezing ears".

What are the customs of the winter solstice over there What are the traditional activities around the winter solstice.

Winter solstice customs. 6. Sacrifice to the sky.

Successive rulers have sacrificed to heaven on the day of the winter solstice. "Sacrifice to the sky" is the ancient "suburb" ceremony, which is a ritual that must be held on the winter solstice day when the emperors of the past dynasties prayed for disasters.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the worship of heaven was mostly held in the southern suburbs of the capital, and in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was held in the round mound of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. In ancient times, the round mound was a round mound that was higher than the ground, it symbolized the circle of the sky, so the night before the sacrifice to the sky, the emperor had to fast and bathe, live in the palace, and hold a ceremony to worship the sky on the winter solstice.

7. Worship ancestors. In the folk, there is a custom of worshipping ancestors on the winter solstice. The winter solstice ancestor worship ceremony is the same as the New Year's Day ancestor worship.

At the same time as sacrificing limbs to ancestors, people also have to pay homage to their parents and elders. In ancient times, there was a custom of offering shoes and socks to the elderly, and this custom is still very popular in modern times. There is a common saying in Fujian and Taiwan that "the winter solstice is big for the New Year, and there is no ancestor to return ("no" meaning), and all people who go out to make a living must rush back to their hometown to celebrate the New Year during the winter solstice festival, indicating that there is a home at the end of the year.

In the Chaoshan area of Guangdong, on the day of the winter solstice, the three animals and fruits should be prepared, and the ancestors should be sacrificed to the ancestral hall. However, in the coastal areas of Raoping, before the fishermen go out to fish, they will come early in the morning to worship their ancestors, which means to ask the gods and ancestors to bless the fishermen to return safely from the sea. In Hui'an, Guangdong, in addition to worshipping ancestors during the Winter Solstice Festival, there are also some customs similar to the Qingming Festival, such as going up the mountain to sweep the tomb and donate money within ten days before and after the winter solstice, and there is no taboo to repair the tomb and move the land.