What's the meaning of offering sacrifices to ancestors in winter solstice?

There are many ancient cultures in China, which are still in use today, such as the chronology of the zodiac and the 24 solar terms. These are all things left by our ancestors, and they are their summary of life. The following is the meaning of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors from winter solstice, I hope it will help you.

What's the meaning of offering sacrifices to ancestors in winter solstice?

Winter solstice is a custom handed down from ancient times. In ancient times, the winter solstice was a very important traditional festival. The ancients paid special attention to sacrificial activities, so they chose to sacrifice their ancestors in the winter solstice.

As early as the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a custom of offering sacrifices to heaven from the winter solstice. After the development of the past dynasties, it gradually evolved into an ancestor worship activity from the Tang and Song Dynasties, called "winter worship" or "winter worship".

In addition to ancestor worship, there are different customs in northern and southern China during the winter solstice, which forms a unique seasonal food culture. The winter solstice food includes: jiaozi in the north, Chaoshan glutinous dumplings, Ma Shi in the southeast, Yuan Lei in Taizhou, pumpkin pie in Hefei and so on.

Information about the winter solstice

The winter solstice is a very important solar term, and it is also a traditional festival in China's lunar calendar. Up to now, there are still many places where the winter solstice festival is held. The winter solstice is commonly known as "Winter Festival", "Dragon Solstice Festival" and "Asian New Year Festival". As early as 2500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, China had determined the winter solstice by observing the sun through the soil return, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms. The time is between February 22nd and 23rd of Gregorian calendar 12.

The winter solstice is the year with the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere. After the solstice in winter, the days will get longer day by day. The ancients said this about the winter solstice: As soon as the cathode arrived, the yang began to grow, the sun went south, the day was short and the shadow was long, so it was called "the winter solstice". After the winter solstice, the climate everywhere has entered the coldest stage, which is often called "entering the ninth". In China, there is a folk saying that "it's cold in March, and it's dog days".

According to modern astronomical science, the sun shines directly on the tropic of Capricorn from the winter solstice, and the sun is most inclined to the northern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere has the shortest day and the longest night. After this day, the sun gradually moved to the north.

In ancient China, people attached great importance to the winter solstice and thought it was a grand festival. There is a saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year, and there is a custom to celebrate it. "Han Shu" said: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, and you are long, so congratulations." People think that after the winter solstice, the days become longer and longer and the sun rises. This is the beginning of a solar cycle and an auspicious day, which should be celebrated. The Book of Jin records: "On the winter solstice of Wei and Jin Dynasties, people from all over the world celebrated ... its appearance was not as good as that of Zheng Dan." Explain the ancient emphasis on the winter solstice.

Now, some places still celebrate the winter solstice as a festival. The northern region has the custom of slaughtering sheep and eating jiaozi and wonton from winter solstice, while the southern region has the custom of eating glutinous rice balls and long noodles from winter solstice on this day. There is also the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors in winter solstice in various regions.

The Origin and Legend of Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice Festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been passed down to this day. Lu even said that the winter solstice is as big as a year. This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People think that the winter solstice is a natural transformation of yin and yang and a blessing from heaven. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was the "Winter Festival", and the government held a congratulatory ceremony called "He Dong", which was a routine festival. There is such a record in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Before and after the winter solstice, a gentleman was prepared for danger in times of peace, refused to listen to politics, and chose an auspicious day to save trouble." So on this day, the imperial court had a holiday, the army was on standby, the frontier fortress was closed, the business trip was closed, relatives and friends sent meals to each other, visited each other, and had a "quiet" holiday happily.

In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the solstice in winter was the day of ancestor worship. On this day, the emperor went to the suburbs to hold a ceremony to worship heaven. On this day, people must worship their parents. There are still some places to celebrate the winter solstice.

Abstract: Solstice is a traditional festival in China, with a long history in China, which can be counted from the Spring and Autumn Period. This festival has also been handed down and continues. In China, the winter solstice is second only to the grand New Year's Eve.

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