Which dynasty can be traced back to the earliest solstice sacrifice?

We all know that a year is divided into 24 solar terms, according to the different seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and the winter solstice is actually the earliest of these 24 solar terms. Looking up historical materials, Bian Xiao found that the word winter solstice first appeared in the Han Dynasty, and then gradually developed into a traditional folk festival. Because we are about to usher in the New Year shortly after the winter solstice, when can the worship of the winter solstice be traced back? The following small series will explain it in detail.

In the Han dynasty, the winter solstice season was determined by calculation, because everyone regarded the winter solstice as the dividing point of yin and yang, and after the winter solstice, it became a cloudy and cold season. Therefore, in the strict sense at that time, once the winter solstice ended, it was another starting point of the new year, so sacrifices were needed during this festival.

As we all know, in the Han Dynasty, we still focused on agricultural production, so after the winter solstice passed, it heralded the arrival of spring, so when the New Year came, we commemorated the winter solstice, mainly to pay homage to our ancestors. On the day of winter solstice, all people must try to go home, so it seems that since ancient times, China people have had the idea of returning to their roots.

Of course, the solstice in winter is also the shortest day among the 24 solar terms. As we all know, in winter, the nights are usually long and the days are short. Therefore, since ancient times, people have attached great importance to offering sacrifices to the winter solstice. Maybe people don't feel so strongly about the winter solstice now, but in previous dynasties, the winter solstice was actually equivalent to our present China New Year, and everyone welcomed the winter solstice in a very grand way, including festivals, food, celebrations and so on.

It was also after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the real Spring Festival and the winter solstice began to gradually separate, and the first month, which we often say, was officially put forward at this time. Before that, they were all confused.