What are the characteristics of Putian winter solstice customs?

Putian winter solstice customs are characterized by rubbing pills, setting up offerings, sweeping tombs and eating dumplings.

1, rubbing pills: on the night before the winter solstice, Putian people will gather around and rub pills together to symbolize reunion. The purpose of this custom is to worship ancestors and pray for family reunion. At the same time, children will roll the balls into various shapes, such as Yuanbao, small animals, etc., to symbolize the family's luck and prosperity of six animals.

2. Setting up offerings: On the winter solstice, people will set up offerings such as pills, ginger, oranges, candies and red chopsticks in front of Zao Gong. These offerings respectively signify reunion, prosperity, sweetness and reunion. At the same time, people also insert soft, boiled meatballs on both sides of doors and windows, or stick them directly on doors and windows to symbolize family harmony and happiness.

3. Tomb-sweeping: In Putian, the winter solstice is also a day of worship and tomb-sweeping. People will go to the graves of their ancestors, clean up the weeds and offer sacrifices to express their respect and remembrance of their ancestors. During the process, people also light firecrackers and burn incense and paper to show their respect.

4, eat dumplings: on the winter solstice, Putian people still have the custom of eating dumplings. Soup dumplings are a traditional dessert made of glutinous rice flour and filled with a variety of choices such as sesame, peanuts and red beans.

Climatic characteristics of the winter solstice:

Low temperatures, the temperature is getting lower and lower. Climatically, during the winter solstice, the average temperature of the Northwest Plateau is generally below 0 ℃, and the southern region is only about 6 ℃ to 8 ℃. In addition, the winter solstice began to "count nine", the winter solstice also became the "count nine" the first day.

The days are shorter and the nights are longer, and the days grow longer. Before and after the winter solstice, although the northern hemisphere sunshine time is the shortest, receive the least amount of solar radiation, but this time the ground in the summer half of the accumulated heat can also provide some supplement, so this time the temperature is not the lowest. But after the winter solstice, the daytime will be longer and longer, so the winter solstice is equivalent to a demarcation point.

After the winter solstice, the ground is still getting less solar radiation than the ground radiation loss of heat, so in the short term the temperature still continues to fall. In addition to a few islands and coastal local areas, January is the coldest month, so the folk have "winter solstice, but not cold," said the astronomical "winter solstice" provisions for the northern hemisphere as the beginning of winter.