What do you do on the solstice in winter?

Eat glutinous rice balls and worship ancestors on the solstice of winter.

The traditional custom of eating glutinous rice balls from winter solstice was formed in Ming and Qing dynasties, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. Tangyuan is an indispensable food in winter solstice, which means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls on the solstice in winter symbolizes family harmony and auspiciousness.

Sacrificing ancestors is a common custom in many festivals in China, and winter solstice is one of them. There is a saying about the Winter Solstice Festival in China Folk Customs, which is also called "Ghost Festival". In our China people's concept, the meaning of ancestors' souls to the family can be compared with the power of the God of heaven and earth to the country. We shouldn't be careless or ignore it. Sacrifice is either at home or in the cemetery.

Historical origin of winter solstice

China's astrological culture has a long history and is profound. The twenty-four solar terms were originally formulated on the basis of changing stars. In different seasons and at different times, the Big Dipper will point in different directions, that is, "bucket handle points to the East, and the world is spring; Guide to barrel handle, it's summer in the world; Bucket handle refers to the west, and the world is autumn; The barrel handle refers to the north, and it is winter all over the world. "Twenty-four solar terms" is the product of ancient farming civilization, which is related to the time of dry farming and gossip and has a long history.

During the period of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, the "twenty-four solar terms" were absorbed into the taichu calendar law as a supplement to the calendar to guide the agriculture in the northern Central Plains, and the "twenty-four solar terms" were measured in the Yellow River basin by the method of Tuguiriying.

The current "twenty-four solar terms" are determined according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic, that is, on a "ecliptic" with a circumference of 360 degrees (the apparent path of the sun on the celestial sphere for one year), the spring is divided into 0 degrees, and every time the sun runs on the ecliptic, 15 degrees is a "solar term". In the process of inheritance and development, the 24 solar terms have been incorporated into the lunar calendar and become an important part of the lunar calendar.