What is a fat winter and thin year?

During the Southern Song Dynasty, Wudi's custom was multiple winter solstice festivals, and families gave each other festivals during the winter solstice. There is a saying that winter is fat and years are thin.

In Song Dynasty, cold food, winter solstice and Spring Festival were the three major festivals in a year. The interval between cold food and winter solstice is very long, so people prepare for winter solstice very solemnly. There will be a winter solstice holiday in the government. Every family will buy new clothes, food, worship their ancestors, hold banquets and get together. Relatives and friends will visit each other and wish each other good luck.

The eve of winter solstice is called winter relocation, which is the same as New Year's Eve. On the first day of the second year, family life with limited talents will be simpler, so the folk proverb has the saying "fat winter and thin year"

Extended data:

As early as more than 2,500 years ago, China began to measure the winter solstice by observing the sun with the soil, becoming the first solar term to be measured. During the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, the solstice in winter was the beginning of a year, which was equivalent to the later Spring Festival. After the implementation of the summer calendar, although the winter solstice is not the dividing point of a year, its position is still very important.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice festival was very popular. There are seven national holidays, and there are also grand festival celebrations. People wear festive costumes, walk through the bustling streets, or visit relatives and friends, or get together for a feast, which is no different from the current Spring Festival holiday.