Winter Solstice Customs

The winter solstice has always been very important to the people of China. Winter solstice, also known as the "Winter Festival", has a long history, the Ming and Qing emperors routinely held in the winter solstice ceremony, that is, "winter solstice suburb days", the ceremony is very grand. On this day, all officials have to the emperor into the congratulatory table, send each other congratulations. Folk, most of the day to improve the food, Beijing area popular saying: "winter solstice dumplings Laha congee." Dumplings are shaped like Yuanbao, eating dumplings has the auspicious meaning of attracting wealth and treasures. It is also said that "winter solstice wontons and congee", it is said that eating meat wontons can preserve vitality and ward off the cold. In the alpine region, it is popular to eat meat on the winter solstice, there is a "winter solstice do not eat meat, frozen off the toes", therefore, regardless of the poor and rich families, this day to cook meat to eat, and meat gifts to friends and relatives, but also in order to protect against the cold and health. So the winter solstice has become a festival that adults and children look forward to.

The Manchu people are borrowing the winter solstice to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings, generally in the winter solstice at five o'clock to invite their relatives and close friends gathered in the courtyard sitting on the ground, grinding knives to kill the pig, began to worship the "ancestral pole", the ceremony is not cumbersome, there are traces of primitive totem worship. Usually in the southeast corner of the gate stands a high flagpole, the top of the gourd-shaped, slightly under a square basket, filled with crushed pig intestines and pig cavity bone mixed with rice, to sacrifice crows, crows are said to be the totem of the old Manchu clan. Sacrifice is completed, family and friends sitting around **** eat commonly known as "God Yu" of the "white meat" as a way to seek the blessing of the ancestors and the shelter of the gods.

Not only this, around the winter solstice also derived from a lot of interesting customs, some of which have even been handed down to the present day.

In the traditional lunar calendar, the winter solstice is counted from this day onwards, and it is popular to fill in the nine nine cold maps for fun. Nine nine cold map is usually a double hook red calligraphy, on the traditional "willow in front of the court to cherish the spring breeze" nine words, nine strokes per word, ***81 strokes from the winter solstice every day in accordance with the order of the strokes to fill a stroke, every one after nine filled with a good word, until after nine after the return of spring to the earth, a nine nine cold map is considered to be a great success. Fill the daily strokes of the color used according to the day's weather decisions, sunny is red; cloudy is blue; rain is green; wind is yellow; snow fill white. In addition, there is also a pictorial version of the Nine Nine Chillers Map, also known as "Yatou", which is a drawing of nine branches of cold plums on white paper, each branch has nine blossoms, one branch corresponds to nine, one corresponds to a day, and each day a plum blossom is filled in with a specific color according to the weather conditions. In the Yuan Dynasty, Yang Yunfu wrote in "Luanjing Miscellaneous Songs", "I tried to count the nine nine drawings in the window, and the remaining coldness was gone and the warmth returned to the beginning of the day. Plum blossom points introduce no remaining white, see this day is the apricot plant."

The most elegant of the nine nine charts is to make nine body couplets. Each nine words, each word nine strokes, every day in the upper and lower couplet each fill in a, such as the upper couplet written "spring spring spring willow spring dyeing spring beauty"; the lower couplet to "autumn yard hanging autumn persimmon autumn send autumn fragrance", known as the nine nine cold to welcome the spring couplet. However, no matter which kind of nine-nine cold elimination drawings, while spending time and entertaining the body and mind, they also simply record the meteorological changes. It is said that experienced old people can also predict the amount of rainfall, abundance and failure of the year based on the charts.

Folk also popular "nine nine songs", the song due to different regions, different customs, it produced different versions. Widely sung in Beijing: "one nine two nine not out, three nine four nine ice walk, five nine six nine river bank to see the willow, seven nine river open, eight nine geese, nine nine and nine, the plow oxen all over the place." In the remote villages of Inner Mongolia, it is sung as: "one nine twenty-nine ah door called dog, three nine forty-nine freezing dog, five nine sixty-nine eliminating the mouth of the well, seven nine river, eight nine geese to come, ninety-nine and ninety-nine, plowing oxen all over the place." While in the Weixian area of Hebei, the rumor is that "the door calls the dog in 1929, the door freezes and breaks the threshing floor in 39-49, the door opens in 59-69, the river opens in 7-9, the geese come in 8-9, the plows go all over the place in 9-9 and 9-9, and the plows go all over the place in 9-9 and 9-9, and the oxen go all over the place in 9-9 and 9-9." These subtle changes reflect the different climatic conditions and living customs of different regions. But one thing is the same, that is, after the count of nine, three nine four nine weather is the coldest, and then gradually warming, the cold gradually disappear, the warmth of spring step by step closer. It is in this sense, some old people often count nine in the winter solstice chanting: "count nine is to count warm it!" Young people often do not understand, in fact, from the festival, the arrival of the winter solstice, marking the cold cold to reach the extreme, the development of the climate also follow the dialectical law, decline, the warmth of the yang has begun to bud quietly, three nine four nine of the extreme cold is the last of the winter of the obscene power, after which the winter gradually surrendered to the spring, you see, nine nine is not yet finished counting, the river has been opened, the geese return, the spring is beckoning to the people frequently it.

That said, but not to be taken lightly. Although winter is coming to an end, spring is just around the corner, but there is still some time to spring, so into the nine, people pay more attention to the cold and health. Folk tend to drink in nine days to eliminate the cold, the customary set nine dishes and nine bowls, in order to be decent into the table with "flower nine pieces" seat, take the meaning of nine nine to eliminate the cold. Middle-aged and elderly people tend to diet at this time, in order to survive the winter and the next year less disease. Because, in winter, people's immune function declines, prone to disease, appropriate tonic to restore strength and improve resistance to disease has a positive effect, weak people may want to try to drink some yam and mutton soup, etc., can improve the ability to protect against the cold. Of course, appropriate exercise is also essential.

The winter solstice is a very important festival, which is celebrated on December 22 or 23 every year, the winter solstice of the 24 solar terms. On this day, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn, and areas north of the equator have the shortest day and the longest night, and with this day as a watershed, the day gradually grows, and the night gradually becomes shorter until the summer solstice of the next year. This law is repeated week after week, and the years pass quietly in this change.

Northern customs

The winter solstice is an important festival in Shanxi in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the "winter" festival.

During the Yin and Zhou periods, the day before the winter solstice was designated as the day of the end of the year. The winter solstice festival is essentially equivalent to today's Spring Festival. Later, the summer calendar was implemented. However, the winter solstice has always been ranked in the first of the twenty-four solar terms, there is a "winter solstice is as big as the year", called the "sub-year". Since the Han Dynasty, are to be held to celebrate the ceremony, the peak period of the court vacation for three days, the king does not listen to politics. Folk rest market for three days, celebrating the festival. The degree of activity is no less than the New Year.

Now the winter solstice festival, still retains many historical relics. From the day of the winter solstice, it is the coldest day of the year. Folk retained the custom of painting "nine nine cold map", in various forms.

There is the drawing of a branch of plum blossom, plain ink outlines nine hundred and ninety-one flowers. Every day with a red pen or black pen to color a petal, petal end and nine out of nine, known as the nine nine cold map.

There are horizontal ten paintings, firm ten paintings, made of a nine hundred and ninety-one grid square chart table. Every day to paint a grid, nine end of the grid full, known as the nine nine elimination table.

There are drawing several hollow squares, choose several words, each word must be a few strokes. Every day, write a stroke, and finally become a sentence, such as "pavilion in front of the house to see the strong cypress peak bone" and other phrases, known as the nine nine cold sentence.

The most elegant is to make nine couplets. Each nine words, each word nine paintings, every day in the upper and lower couplet each filled with a, such as the upper couplet written "spring spring spring willow spring dye spring beauty"; the lower couplet to "autumn yard hanging autumn persimmon autumn send autumn fragrance", known as the nine nine cold to welcome the spring couplet.

The specific form of each family, often according to the owner's hobbies and cultural qualities. Folk also left nine nine cold map folk proverb: "under the point of the sky cloudy on the point of sunshine, the left wind and right fog snow center. Figure point in the ink black black, outside the door is already grass."

The winter solstice, folk customary gift shoes, its source is very ancient. The Chinese Ancient and Modern Annotations says: "Han has embroidered mandarin ducks crawler, Zhaodi made the winter solstice on the aunt and uncle." Cao Zhi's "Winter Solstice Offering Socks and Crawlers Table" also has the sentence of "welcome to the age of the sample, crawling long Na Qing". Later, the custom of giving shoes to aunt and uncle gradually turned into aunt and uncle giving shoes and hats to nephews and nephews. It is mainly embodied in children. In the past, it was mainly hand-embroidered. Gifts for men, hats are made into tiger-shaped, dog-shaped, shoes embroidered on the beasts. Gifts for girls, hats are often made in the shape of a phoenix, shoes embroidered with flowers and birds. Now most of them are purchased from the collection of coins, the form follows the trend of the times. Every holiday, the adults always like to hold the child strings, boasting aunt and uncle gift of shoes and hats.

Winter Solstice Festival, the boys in the northern part of the Jinbei region used to play the game of playing post. Each holding a palm-sized square stone, one side of the stand up, the other side according to the prescribed set of actions, in turn, the sequence of throwing strikes aiming to hit. Knocked down the other side of the post, continue to go down. Failure to exchange with the other party to throw and hit. The first to complete all the procedures for the winner. Girls are used to playing shuttlecock, the form is also various. People often have to join in the fun.

The winter solstice, the old custom is also to be led by the school director, banquet Mr. Teaching. Mr. to lead the students to pay homage to Confucius. Then by the school director to lead the students to worship Mr.. Shanxi folk proverb "winter solstice teaching", said this custom of respect for teachers. There is still the custom of inviting teachers to dinner on the winter solstice. Northwest Jin used to stewed mutton to entertain teachers, the love of its full thick.

In the past, for people to carry the work, the custom of the winter solstice with the owner of the settlement of wages, ready to go home. It is traditional for the owner to host a banquet for his friends and to discuss with each other the matters of the next year. Today, some rural individual enterprises, still retain this custom, in the winter solstice feast **** drink.

Southern customs

Winter solstice this day is the longest night of the year, many people use this night, with glutinous rice flour to do the "winter solstice round", in order to distinguish it from the later Chinese New Year eve of the "resignation of the year", the day before the winter festival is called the "add years". "The day before the Winter Festival is called "Tengshou" or "Yayou" to distinguish it from the day before the Chinese New Year, which means that the year is not yet over, but everyone has already grown a year older.

Customs and folklore in different parts of China vary, but they are generally the same. The winter solstice round, often at the request of the children pinch some small animals, kittens, puppies, rabbits, tigers and so on. The children are very happy at this time. Before eating the winter solstice round, in the windows, doors, tables and cabinets behind the bed lamps, are to stick a winter solstice round, known as "consuming zhou", to wait until the "send stove" to bake food. If there is a pregnant woman at home at this time, the winter solstice round hair, will give birth to a man, otherwise it will give birth to a woman. When eating winter solstice rounds, the entrances must be in pairs for good luck. Eat to the end of only two left, married people will be all the best, left one, single unmarried people will be all things go well. There are also some families in the evening, with seasonal fruits, three animals to worship the gods and ancestors. There are also in this day "dry winter rice", that is, the white rice washed with water, in the sun on this day after exposure to the collection, reserved for the future sick people to eat porridge.

Eating dumplings is also a traditional winter solstice custom, especially prevalent in Jiangnan. "Tangyuan" is a necessary food for the winter solstice, is a kind of round dessert made of glutinous rice flour, "round" means "reunion", "complete! "Round" means "reunion" and "complete", and eating soup dumplings on the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice dough". Folk have "eaten dumplings a year older" said. Winter Solstice Dumplings can be used to offer sacrifices to ancestors, and can also be used to give gifts to friends and relatives. In the old days, Shanghainese people paid most attention to eating soup dumplings. There is an old poem that says: "Every family pounds rice to make soup dumplings, knowing that it is the winter solstice day in the Ming Dynasty." The word "round" means "reunion" and "success". Eating dumplings on the winter solstice symbolizes family harmony and good fortune.

Winter Festival sweet pills are generally cooked before dawn, family members get up, we have to eat a bowl of "winter festival pills", Chaoshan has "winter festival pills, a food on the New Year" folk proverb, commonly known as "add years! It is commonly known as "adding a year", which means that although the year has not yet passed, everyone has already added a year. Children are most looking forward to eating this bowl of sweet pills, often wake up at night to ask the dawn? However, the sky seems to be joking with the children as if, always not bright, so the tide of customary "winter festival night, Luolu long, sweet pills have not been cooked days are not light," the nursery rhyme. In fact, every year on the winter solstice, the night is the longest, and after the winter solstice, it becomes shorter gradually. In the old days, the cities and towns in Chaoshan also worshiped "Commander Gong" with sweet glutinous rice pills on the winter solstice, and prepared three animals to offer to the ancestors and the custom of sweeping the graves on the winter solstice, which was called "winter paper". If a person has not died for three years, the descendants should sweep the graves in the Ching Ming Festival, and only after that should they sweep the graves in the winter paper. Winter solstice tomb sweeping, because winter is less rain, full of sunshine, in the mountains and fields held in the ancestors more convenient, but also to take this excursion, play the role of recreation and physical and mental.

Winter Solstice, most of the province is accustomed to eating dumplings, the legend says that the winter solstice festival ate dumplings do not freeze ears. Mountain tradition is to eat cake. Jinnan region flourished boiling rapeseed root rice soup to drink. There are also places to eat wontons, "winter solstice wontons summer solstice noodles," said.

Some areas in the South to eat dumplings on the winter solstice, is said to be from the development of red beans and glutinous rice.

Sichuan region to eat dumplings on the winter solstice (copy).

Guangxi regions eat tofu buns on the winter solstice, in which tofu is deep-fried into a hollow, meat is put into it and steamed.

Suzhou winter solstice is as big as the year

Suzhou people have "winter solstice is as big as the year" called, that is, pay special attention to this festival. Before the festival, friends and relatives with food gifts, baskets and boxes, filling the road, called the winter solstice plate. The night before the festival, commonly known as the winter solstice night, the family reunion to eat the winter solstice night meal. All married women must return to their husbands' homes, if they stay in their mothers' homes, unfavorable relatives, will be poor, "ten rice bucket nine empty". Pumpkin can not be placed in the home overnight, must be placed in the open air on the roof, otherwise it will be disaster. Before the night meal ancestor worship, ancestor worship dishes must be burned back to the pot, or eat will have poor memory. Night meal dishes are particularly sumptuous, rich people at least eight pots of a warm pot, plus whole chickens, whole ducks, big blue fish, and stewed feet. If you have a family member who is out of town, put a set of chopsticks and bowls as usual. Various dishes have auspicious names: egg dumplings are called "Yuanbao", meat dumplings are called "Reunion", thread noodles are called "Golden Chain", chicken is called "Puputeng", and fish is called "Fish". ", fish called "eat surplus", soybean sprouts called "Ruyi vegetable", green vegetables called "Anle vegetable", as the New Year's Eve New Year's Eve dinner custom. Putting soybeans inside the rice is called "Yuanbao rice", and two hot water chestnuts are put in the rice bowl in advance, which is called "digging Yuanbao" when you clip them out during the meal. At the evening meal, they drank a kind of winter wine made with herbs and molasses at a very low degree, and children and women were allowed to drink it. As for the poor families, after paying the rent, there is not much left, so they have to "have money to eat all night, no money to freeze all night".

The winter solstice morning, eat the winter solstice ball (round or pumpkin dumplings). This day began to start nine, called even winter nine, until nine nine eighty-one days and the end of the cold. In addition, the common winter solstice before and after the rain and snow, the main year clear. If the winter solstice days clear, the end of the year more rain and snow, muddy roads. Therefore, there is a "clean winter solstice sloppy year, sloppy winter solstice clean year" said.

To figure out why only Suzhou "winter solstice is as big as the year", first of all, we have to figure out the origin of the winter solstice: sheep thousands of years, our country has been in the farming society, and in order to adapt to the farming civilization, our ancestors have always attached great importance to the seasons of the weather and changes in seasonal. 3,000 years ago, the summer and business dynasties, "the Shangshu - Yao Dian" has been about the winter solstice. During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, there was already a record of the winter solstice, which was called the "short day" at that time. In the early years of the Zhou Dynasty, the winter solstice was officially mentioned in the 24 solar terms formed in China, and it was also mentioned in Kapitsuka Zhoushu (汲冢周書-时训解). For the winter solstice, many people now understand the literal meaning of the winter solstice, thought the winter solstice, from this day onwards, winter came, but in fact, its original meaning is not the arrival of winter, but "winter solar activity to the southern pole", "to", is the "pole", "to", is the "pole". "The first time I saw this, I was able to see the sun's energy in the sky, and I was able to see the sun's energy in the sky, and I was able to see the sun's energy in the sky.

Mention of the Suzhou prevailing "winter solstice is as big as the year", the time is indeed not short, there should have been more than 3,000 years of history. Ming "Jiajing - Gusu Zhi" said "especially heavy winter solstice, three days off the market, as on New Year's Day", Qing Dynasty "Wu County years Hua Ji Li" also recorded: "County people most important winter solstice festival", it can be said that the folk "winter solstice is as big as years! It can be said that at that time there was a folk saying that "winter solstice is as big as the year". In our country's tradition, for the four seasons of the year, we always have spring plowing, summer plowing, autumn harvest, winter storage. And the so-called winter storage, is the rest day after the fall busy, is to celebrate the harvest festival. Suzhou, with its warm mountains and soft water, has always been the country's granary, and the popular saying since the Song Dynasty that "when Suzhou and Lake are ripe, the world is full" should not only be attributed to the importance that the country attaches to Suzhou as a backyard for food, but also to the importance that the people of Suzhou attach to agriculture and water conservancy. As for the ancestors of Suzhou, it is well known that since the end of the Shang Dynasty, Tai Bo ran to Wu, which brought not only the migration of population, but also the culture because of the migration of residents. In a sense, many of the inhabitants of Wu are part of the descendants of the Zhou Dynasty. Suzhou is a place of very strong cultural heritage, it has a strong ability to inherit civilization, and for folklore, naturally, also get the best inheritance: according to the Zhou calendar, the beginning of the year is the first month of the lunar month of November, so it is not surprising that we in Suzhou, following the customs since the Zhou, pay special attention to the winter solstice. Qingjiazhu" cited Cai Yun "Wu Yu owe" said "winter fat and skinny life respectively, still attacked Ji family Jianzi spring". Tang Dynasty people also have the winter solstice for the beginning of a new year's argument, then called the winter solstice the night before the "night".