Why is the winter solstice "a big holiday"?

The winter solstice is the fourth winter solstice, and it is also an important festival. The winter solstice is the fourth solar term of winter, but also an important festival, the folk have always had "winter solstice is as big as the year".

The ancients believed that the winter solstice is an important festival for the transformation of yin and yang, and represents the beginning of the next cycle, which is a very auspicious day, and the "counting of the nine" has also begun since then. Dumplings, dumplings and other foods are the "seasonal rice" at this time, the footsteps of the New Year, close.

Winter solstice to, "counting nine" began

Winter solstice is one of the twenty-four seasons, opposite the summer solstice, time in the annual calendar around December 22nd. At this time, the sun reaches 270° of yellow longitude.

On the winter solstice, the sun's direct position on the ground reaches the southernmost point of the year, almost directly above the Tropic of Capricorn. The northern hemisphere receives the least amount of sunlight on this day, and the days are at their shortest, with the days getting shorter as you go further north.

Likewise, also because the winter solstice sun altitude is the lowest, the shortest time of sunshine, the ground absorbs less heat than the heat lost, the weather is generally colder. Winter solstice began to "count nine", every nine days for a "nine". By the time the "nine", the weather will have warmed up and most of the country will be in spring, also known as the "nine sunny days".

According to the traditional theory of yin and yang, the winter solstice is an important festival for the transformation of yin and yang, which is why there is also the saying that the winter solstice is the birth of yang. At the same time, the leap month is also based on the winter solstice.

Why is it called the "Winter Festival"?

The winter solstice has always been an important festival, also known as the "Winter Festival".

According to records, the first month of the Zhou calendar was the eleventh month of the summer calendar, which means that the first month of the Zhou Dynasty was equivalent to our current November. At that time, the Zhou Dynasty celebrated the New Year with the winter solstice as the first day of the year, so there was no difference between paying homage to the year and congratulating the winter.

During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar, separating the first month from the winter solstice. The Book of Han records, "The winter solstice yang qi starts, the king's path is long, so congratulations ......" indicates that people initially celebrated the winter solstice festival to celebrate the arrival of the new year.

The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the yang qi of heaven and earth began to rise and grow stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle, a day of great good fortune. As a result, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners, which were later common during the Spring Festival, often occurred at this time.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the winter solstice was also known as "Yayu". On this day, people pay tribute to their parents and elders. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the winter solstice and the first day of the year were emphasized together. The Southern Song Dynasty Meng Yuan Lao "Tokyo Dreaming Records" describes the winter solstice: "...... although to the poor, between the year, the accumulation of false borrowing, to this day easier new clothes, ready to do the food and drink, enjoy the ancestors. Officials put off pouncing, celebrating exchanges, as the annual festival."

Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperor will be held in the sky ceremony, called the "winter solstice suburb days". The palace has a hundred officials to the emperor to submit the ceremony of congratulatory table, but also to throw each other congratulations. The people will also celebrate this festival with joy.

What are the winter solstice customs of eating dumplings and drinking mutton soup ......?

As a festival that has lasted for a long time, the winter solstice will naturally have many interesting customs.

As the saying goes, "When the winter solstice arrives, eat dumplings". In northern China, it is customary to eat dumplings on the winter solstice, while in the south, dumplings are mostly eaten, with some exceptions, such as in Tengzhou, Shandong Province, where it is popular to drink lamb soup on the day of the winter solstice to ward off the cold.

Alternatively, in the water towns of Jiangnan, it is said that the night of the winter solstice the whole family get together, *** eat red beans and glutinous rice. Legend has it that, *** work has a son of evil, died at the winter solstice, after death into the epidemic ghosts to brutalize the people. But the epidemic ghosts are particularly afraid of red beans, so people cook and eat red beans and rice on the winter solstice, hoping to prevent disasters and get rid of diseases.

Interestingly, Suzhou also has the custom of drinking "winter wine". Winter wine is a kind of rice wine brewed with osmanthus flowers. On the night of the winter solstice, the people drink the delicious winter wine and taste various kinds of brined vegetables, such as marinated beef, and their homes are filled with laughter.

After the start of "Counting Nine", it was popular to fill in the nine-nine charts for fun. Ninety-nine to eliminate cold is usually a double hook red calligraphy, from the winter solstice every day in accordance with the order of the strokes to fill a stroke, to the nine after the return of spring, a picture of nine nine to eliminate cold will be completed.

Winter is a time of hiding, when the north wind howls and the earth freezes. The winter solstice is an important seasonal node, and people hold a series of seasonal rituals around it, as mentioned by folklorist Xiaolai in his book "Twenty-four Sets of Seasons and Folklore".

"The winter solstice resides in the time of change between the old and the new, and it naturally has an extraordinary cultural significance in the concept of the ancients, and many beliefs and rituals in the winter solstice festivals and customs originate from the people's feelings about this time of the year." Xiao Fang explained.