What is the origin of the winter solstice festival?

1. According to records, in the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, winter and November were the first month, and the solstice in winter was the beginning of the New Year. There is a saying in Hanshu: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, so congratulations ..." In other words, people originally celebrated the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the yang of heaven and earth began to flourish and become stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which is a good day. Therefore, later, during the Spring Festival, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners often appeared on the winter solstice. The winter solstice is also called "off-year". First, it shows that the year is approaching and there are not many days left. The second is to show the importance of the winter solstice.

2. 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.

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 day" happily.

3. 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 the gods. On this day, people must worship their parents. There are still some places to celebrate the winter solstice.

Winter solstice is a very important solar term in China lunar calendar, and it is also a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. The winter solstice is usually called "Winter Festival", "Dragon solstice Festival" and "Asian New Year". The time is between 0 and 23 in Gregorian calendar 65438+February 265438, which is the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere all year round. In most parts of northern China, it is also the custom to eat jiaozi and jiaozi on this day.