How did the ancient people spend the solstice winter?

1, Sacrifice to Heaven and Ancestors in Winter Solstice: It is recorded in Zhou Li: "Qiu Huan offered sacrifices to Heaven and God. Note: From winter to the sun, the five emperors, the sun, the moon and the stars are sacrificed to the suburban altar. " Since the Zhou dynasty, the ancestors of heaven and earth have sacrificed to the sun every winter. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, every winter solstice, the emperor would go to the suburbs to worship heaven, while ordinary people would worship their ancestors at home.

2, give shoes and socks, respect the teacher: Cao Zhi wrote in the "Winter Solstice Day socks and socks table" that "the Asian Year welcomes guests and celebrates long achievements." On the solstice of winter, the sun is the longest, so there is a custom of sending shoes and socks to elders in ancient times, which means wishing teachers and elders health and longevity on the day when their feet are the longest.

3. Eating meatballs in the evening: In the Qing Dynasty, Lin Weicheng wrote a poem "The Word of Rubbing Meatballs from Winter Night to Morning": "Holding hands for five nights is light, and the winter festival reunion is called today. Sister-in-law asked the new sister-in-law with a smile. Last night, Nanbuwei. " The "rubbing pills" in the poem is the custom of rubbing pills in winter in Zhizipu County. Because the winter solstice has the shortest day and the longest night, most children can't help eating until dawn, so there is also a saying that "love to eat meatballs before dawn".