Is the winter solstice the first or last day of winter?

The winter solstice is neither the first day nor the last day of winter.

"Winter solstice" does not mean "winter is coming". Some people interpret "winter solstice" as "winter has arrived", which is a misunderstanding. Because "the winter solstice" is not a subject-predicate structure, but a partial structure, meaning "the pole of winter". This night is the longest, and then it gets shorter. Similarly, the "summer solstice" refers to the "summer pole", which reaches its peak during the day and then slowly shrinks. Zhu Dui said, "To the extreme."

Extended data:

Winter solstice is one of the eight festivals in a year. Since ancient times, ancestors have had the tradition of offering sacrifices to their ancestors during the winter solstice to show filial piety and not forget their roots. Due to different local customs and habits, the forms of ancestor worship are also different. While offering sacrifices to ancestors, they also offer sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth. The offerings mainly include three sacrifices, three teas and five wines. The solstice in winter is considered as a big holiday in winter. In ancient times, people wandering in other places had to go home for the winter festival at this time, which was called "having a home at the end of the year".

The phrase "The solstice in winter is as big as a year and never comes back" is widely circulated in some places in southern China. Winter solstice is also called "sub-year" and "off-year", which means that a year is coming, and the importance of winter solstice is expressed. When the winter solstice arrives, the New Year is just around the corner, so the ancients thought that the winter solstice was as important as the New Year. Many places still maintain the traditional custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors from the winter solstice.