What's so special about the solstice in winter?

Pay attention to the winter solstice: in some areas, it is impossible to say "happy winter solstice", which is mainly related to the custom of ancestor worship. In addition, there is a folk saying that "it is strictly forbidden to treat guests from winter to sun". In Zhejiang province, white rice is not eaten on the solstice in winter, and people usually eat red rice or red bean porridge on this day.

Winter solstice, also known as solstice, winter festival, child year, etc. , is the 22nd of the 24 solar terms. It is called "winter solstice". It turns out that the day of the winter solstice solar term is the pole where the sun points directly to the south. The sunlight is most inclined to the northern hemisphere, and the solar altitude angle is the smallest. China, located in the northern hemisphere, has the shortest day and the longest night.

The arrival of the winter solstice is to remind residents in the northern hemisphere to be vigilant and take cold-proof measures, because the real winter is coming. Ancestors often say "the solstice in winter is nine", but that's all. Count to nine, which means the cold winter begins.

The winter solstice is considered to be such an important festival because it was once considered as the beginning of a year. The ancients believed that the solstice in winter was the time when the spirit of the sun began to sprout.

folk custom

1, eat wonton

As the saying goes: "winter solstice wonton, summer solstice", the custom of eating wonton in winter solstice has a long history. According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu in the north often harassed the frontier, and the people were restless. At that time, there were two leaders, Xiongnu tribe and Tun tribe, which were very cruel.

The people hated it, so they wrapped it into a corner with meat stuffing and called it "wonton" with the sound of "muddy" and "swallowing". I hate eating, and I want to quell the war and live a peaceful life. Because wonton was originally made on the winter solstice, every family eats wonton on the winter solstice.

2. Draw a picture of 1999 to eliminate cold.

As the saying goes, "Summer solstice is three years old, and winter solstice is nine years old." After the solstice in beginning of winter, "nine cold days" will be ushered in all parts of China, and it has become an important custom to draw a picture of nine cold days. Drawing a 99-year-old cold village is actually a picture to calculate the warm date from winter to spring. There are three patterns in "99 Cold Map", namely characters, circles and plum blossoms.