Which solar term is the winter solstice?

Winter solstice is an important solar term in the 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". As early as more than 2,500 years ago in the Spring and Autumn Period, China had observed the sun with the earth, and determined the winter solstice, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms, and the time was between 0 and 23 in Gregorian calendar 65438+February 265438.

On the winter solstice, the direct position of the sun on the ground reaches the southernmost point of the year and almost directly reaches the Tropic of Capricorn (23 26' south latitude). On this day, the northern hemisphere gets the least sunshine, 50% less than the southern hemisphere. The days in the northern hemisphere are the shortest, and the farther north they are, the shorter they are. After the winter solstice, the stars in the night sky are completely replaced by the winter stars. From today, they will enter the ninth. At this time, the southern hemisphere is in a hot summer.

More generally, there is a custom of eating jiaozi from winter solstice in northern China. As the saying goes, "When winter solstice comes, eat jiaozi." In the south, we eat jiaozi, but there are exceptions. For example, in Tengzhou, Qufu and Zoucheng of Shandong Province, the custom of counting nine from the winter solstice is very popular, and the custom of drinking mutton soup on the same day means driving away the cold. Dietary customs vary from place to place, but eating jiaozi is the most common.