What are the customs or folk activities of the winter solstice?

Generally speaking, the custom in the north is to eat dumplings, rice balls in the south, and rice cakes in some places. There will also be folk activities such as sacrificing ancestors, worshiping the heavens and worshiping gods.

There are no major folk activities on the winter solstice, that is, each family makes dumplings and eats steamed buns, but when eating dumplings, it is necessary to pay tribute.

Winter solstice traditional customs activities

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", and eating tangyuan on the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice round". There is a folk saying that "one year older after eating rice balls".

4. Eat roast 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 folk customs of the winter solstice

Ancestor worship. 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.

While worshipping ancestors, people also 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 all the people who go out to make a living must rush back to their hometown for the New Year during the winter solstice festival, indicating that there is a home at the end of the year.

Worship the heavens. Successive rulers have sacrificed to heaven on the day of the winter solstice. Sacrificing to the sky is an ancient suburban ritual, which is a ritual that must be held on the winter solstice day when the emperors of the past dynasties prayed for blessings.

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.

Complimentary shoes and hats. During the winter solstice, there is a custom of giving shoes. In "Ancient and Modern China", Bu Shengwan said:

Han has embroidered mandarin duck shoes, and Emperor Zhao ordered his aunt to go on the winter solstice. With the passage of time, the custom of giving shoes to aunts gradually evolved into aunts giving shoes and hats to nephews. In ancient times, hand-embroidered, given to women, shoes embroidered mostly flowers and birds, hats mostly made into phoenix shapes; For men, the embroidery of shoes is mostly beasts, and the hats are also mostly made of tigers.

What activities can be done on the winter solstice.

Taste the winter tea.

Tea tasting is not only a way of life, but also a social and cultural activity. When the weather is cold, look at the snow through the window and drink a few cups of fragrant tea, which can not only keep out the cold, but also relieve the idle time in winter.

Enjoy winter fishing. Thousands of mountains and birds fly away, and thousands of people disappear. The lonely boat is boring, fishing alone in the cold river and snow. Anglers are immersed in nature, appreciate the pleasure of the mountains and rivers, and enjoy this wonderful leisurely time.

Eat winter food. After eating winter solstice noodles, a line grows a day. The cathode is the beginning, the yang is born, the sun is south, the day is short, and the shadow is long. In addition to winter solstice noodles, dumplings, glutinous rice balls, and eight-treasure porridge are all traditional delicacies that replenish the sun and keep out the cold.

Warm winter customs. Zhou Lichun Official Gods" records: With the winter solstice, to the gods, people and ghosts.

The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the yang energy of heaven and earth began to grow stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle and the day of good fortune. Therefore, many regions later had the custom of worshiping the heavens and ancestors on the day of the winter solstice.