The origins and customs of the winter solstice, etc.

Winter Solstice (alias: Shujiu, Winter Festival, Long Solstice Festival, Yasui, English name: Winter Solstice) is the 22nd solar term of the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms". The sun's longitude reaches 270°, and the date is in December 21st, 22nd or 23rd every year in the Gregorian calendar is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. The custom of celebrating the winter solstice originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties.

The winter solstice is the extreme point where the sun travels southward. On the winter solstice, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn. The sun's rays are most tilted toward the northern hemisphere, and the sun's altitude angle is the smallest. It is the day with the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere. . The winter solstice is also the turning point when the sun's direct point returns north. After this day, it will "turn back". The sun's direct point begins to move northward from the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26'S), and the daylight hours in the northern hemisphere will increase day by day. The winter solstice marks the beginning of the cold season, and people start counting nine to calculate the cold weather (folk proverb: "The summer solstice is three Geng, and the winter solstice is Ren, count nine).

There are two origins of the winter solstice: The theory of Tugui's shadow measurement is derived from the theory of Ganzhi Calendar, but there are quite a lot of customs during the Winter Solstice. Specifically, they include: nine-nine to eliminate the cold, offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors, eating dumplings in the north, eating glutinous rice balls in the south, eating winter solstice meat, and giving shoes and hats. , hiding winter ice, eating wontons, eating dog meat, etc. I think among the many customs during the Winter Solstice, there are three that are worth mentioning. Let’s take a look with me:

1. Winter Solstice. Origin?

?1. The origin of the winter solstice: Tugui photometry?

According to legend, the Tugui method began to be used in the Central Plains of my country more than 3,000 years ago, and it was measured in Luoyi, Henan. The "winter solstice" established by Guibiao Ying was the first one among the 24 solar terms determined by Zhou Gong, and the winter solstice was regarded as the first of the twenty-four solar terms. The essence of the method is "the tree is eight feet long. On the summer solstice, the view is five feet long; on the winter solstice, the view is one foot, three feet and five inches long." ”.

On the winter solstice, the sun is at its lowest height at noon and its shadow is the longest; in astronomy, because on the winter solstice the sun reaches the southernmost point of the year when it shines directly on the ground, and the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer. It is most tilted towards the northern hemisphere, so the shadow is the longest. On the summer solstice, the sun is highest at noon and the shadow is the shortest. Because on the summer solstice, the sun reaches the northernmost point of the year and the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer; my country is located in the northern hemisphere, the Tropic of Cancer. Passing through my country, the summer solstice is "shadowless" on the Tropic of Cancer. After long-term and repeated observation and recording of the noon shadow, the positions of the longest and shortest shadows in a year can be determined, so the winter solstice and summer solstice can be established.

As early as the 20th century BC, "guibiao" shadow measurement began in the Central Plains of my country. Tugui is a tool for measuring the length of the sun's shadow. The "guibiao" is used to measure the shadow. The length of the sun's shadow can be used to find the winter solstice.

2. The origin of the winter solstice: according to the Ganzhi calendar?

When talking about the origin of the winter solstice, it is inseparable from the division of the 24 solar terms. In ancient times, people used the Big Dipper as a reference, rotated the handle of the dipper from east to west, and calculated it as a year. Combined with the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches, the year was divided into 24 nodes to reflect "time, climate" ", phenology" influence on agricultural production. This way of counting is called the counting of stems and branches, and these 24 nodes are the 24 solar terms. From this, the winter solstice was born.

The day of the winter solstice When the handle of the Big Dipper points to the true north, it indicates that the yin and yang are born. Therefore, the ancients regarded this day as a big festival in winter, and held activities such as worshiping gods and ancestors, gatherings and banquets. , and eventually became a winter solstice custom.

In the zodiac calendar, the 24 solar terms began at the beginning of spring and ended with the Great Cold. During the reign of Emperor Wu, the Taichu calendar was promulgated. In the Taichu calendar, the winter solstice is the first of the 24 solar terms and the beginning of the year. Therefore, on this day, people will hold grand activities and ceremonies, and they will also have a holiday, which is called "Hedong". It was formed in the lunar calendar of yin and yang.

In the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty more than 300 years ago, people used the earth as the observation point and the vernal equinox as the starting point, and calculated the time it takes for the sun to travel from west to east along the ecliptic as one year. At the same time, the circle formed by the sun moving along the ecliptic is divided into 24 equal parts, and every 15 degrees is one equal part, which is a solar term. When the sun moves to 270 degrees in the ecliptic coordinate system, it is the winter solstice. This way of counting the years is what we now call the lunar calendar, which belongs to the lunar calendar. In the lunar calendar, the 24 solar terms begin at the beginning of spring and end with the Great Cold.

2. Winter Solstice Customs?

1. Winter Solstice Customs: Drinking Mutton Soup?

The custom of eating mutton during the Winter Solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, ate the mutton cooked by Fan Kuai on the day of the winter solstice. He thought it tasted particularly delicious and was full of praise. Since then, the folk custom of eating mutton during the Winter Solstice has been formed. This is the custom of eating mutton soup during the Winter Solstice, which is mainly spread in Sichuan and other places. Nowadays, this food custom is still preserved in some areas. During the winter solstice, Sichuan region ushered in the peak period of drinking mutton soup. People believe that drinking mutton soup can warm the body and resist the cold and humid environment in the area.

People eat mutton and various nutritious foods on the day of the winter solstice in order to have a good omen in the coming year.

In the Tengzhou area of ??Shandong Province, this day is called Fujiu. Before the festival, gifts such as mutton are given to the elders. Every household on Fujiu drinks mutton soup, which bodes well for the individual, the elders, and the family.

In fact, the reason why the custom of eating mutton soup during the Winter Solstice has been passed down for thousands of years is mainly due to the efficacy of mutton soup. In winter, the human body's Yang Qi is hidden in the body, so it is easy to have cold hands and feet and poor Qi and blood circulation. Mutton is sweet but not greasy, warm in nature but not dry. It has the effects of nourishing the kidneys and strengthening yang, warming the middle and dispelling cold, warming and replenishing qi and blood, appetizing and strengthening the spleen. Therefore. Eating mutton in winter can not only resist the wind and cold, but also nourish the body. It is really a good thing that kills two birds with one stone. When eating mutton, you can pair it with cool and sweet vegetables, which can cool down, detoxify and remove heat. Mutton is also a good match with tofu and radish, which can supplement a variety of trace elements and can eliminate stagnation, The effect of resolving phlegm and heat.

In addition, the Winter Solstice belongs to the New Year, so on this day, the younger generation should give gifts to the elders, and the students should send blessings to their teachers on the Winter Solstice, and one of the gifts prepared is mutton. In addition, mutton in winter tastes fat, and mutton is hot and nutritious, so it is very suitable to eat in winter. Therefore, there has been the custom of eating mutton soup during the Winter Solstice since ancient times, and now, whether in the south or the north, during the winter solstice, everyone will drink a bowl of hot mutton soup to celebrate the arrival of the winter solstice festival.

2. The custom of winter solstice: drawing nine pictures?

The so-called drawing nine is actually a picture used to calculate the date of spring after the winter solstice. "A Brief Introduction to Scenery of the Imperial Capital" of the Ming Dynasty records: "On the winter solstice, I painted a plain plum branch with eighty-one petals. When the sun dyes one petal, and the petals are gone and ninety-nine come out, it means spring is deep, and it is called the ninety-nine to relieve the cold." The "Nine-Nine Cold-repelling Picture" has three patterns, namely words, circles and plum blossoms.

Folks refer to the meaning of the Winter Solstice as "Jiaojiu" or "Counting Nine", that is, starting from the winter solstice, every nine days is regarded as a "Nine", and the sky is divided into 9 "Nine"s. ***Eighty-one days of ninety-nine, and spring will enter after 81 days. After the winter solstice, counting ninety-nine is very popular all over the country. People in various places have compiled various proverbs and jingles for counting ninety-nine based on different climate conditions, scenery characteristics, agricultural weather and customs. The most representative one is the following jingle: 1929 is as expected, 3949 is walking on the ice, 5969 is watching the willows along the river, 79 is the river blooming, 89 is the wild goose, 99 plus one 9. Plow cattle are everywhere.

In ancient times, after entering the ninth month, literati and scholar-bureaucrats would also engage in some so-called cold-repelling activities. They would choose a "Nine" day and meet nine people to drink. Nine means to eliminate cold. At the same time, in some areas of our country, it is also popular among the people to fill in the nine-nine pictures to relieve the cold for entertainment. The nine-nine cold-relieving picture is usually a double-hook red calligraphy, with nine traditional Chinese characters "Weeping willows in front of the court, cherish the spring breeze", each character has nine strokes, and the maximum is eighty-one strokes. Starting from the winter solstice, fill in one stroke every day according to the stroke order. , fill in one word every time after the ninth nine, until spring returns to the earth after the ninth nine, a picture of the ninth nine to relieve the cold is considered complete. The color used to fill in the strokes of each day is determined by the weather of the day. If it is sunny, it will be red; if it is cloudy, it will be blue; if it rains, it will be green; if it is windy, it will be yellow; if it is snow, it will be white.

3. Winter Solstice custom: Giving shoes as a gift during the Winter Solstice?

On the Winter Solstice Festival, there is also a folk custom of giving shoes, which has ancient origins. "Notes on Ancient and Modern China" says: "There were embroidered mandarin duck shoes in the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Zhao ordered his uncle and aunt to visit him on the winter solstice." Cao Zhi's "Winter Solstice Presentation of Socks and Shoes" also has the sentence "Welcome to the new year, and the long shoes are to celebrate."

On the Winter Solstice Festival, it is a folk custom to give shoes as gifts. This ancient origin is mainly reflected in children, hoping that children will grow up healthily. In the past, it was mainly hand embroidery. As gifts for boys, hats are often made in the shape of tigers or dogs, and the embroideries on their shoes are also beasts. As gifts for girls, hats are often made in the shape of a phoenix, and shoes are often embroidered with flowers and birds. Nowadays, most of them are purchased from the market, and the form follows the trend of the times. During festivals, adults always like to visit the house with their children in their arms and show off the shoes and hats presented by their aunts.

In the "Winter Solstice Presenting Socks and Foot Watches" by Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms, there is a sentence that "the younger years welcome auspiciousness, and the longer one's shoes welcome the blessings". It is recorded in "Youyang Zazu": "Women in the Northern Dynasties often used On the winter solstice, wear socks and boots." Winter Solstice: "The sun is born below, the sun is forever in the sky, and the prosperity lasts for hundreds of millions of years." Therefore, the previous Winter Solstice was also called "Luchang Festival". This means that during the winter solstice, Yang is born, and the nascent Yang energy starts from the ground and moves upward, that is, from the feet up, so a pair of shoes is given to protect the nascent Yang energy and ensure safety. As the saying goes, "When a yang is born during the winter solstice, give shoes to ensure health." This is what it means.

During the Winter Solstice Festival, many traditional foods are eaten. In some areas, steamed buns, rice cakes, glutinous rice cakes, etc. are also eaten, which are all related to local food customs and habits. In fact, no matter what we eat, everyone’s original intention is the same, to welcome the arrival of the winter solstice and celebrate the coming of the new year.