What does the solstice mean in winter? What are the customs?

1, winter solstice, also known as solstice, winter festival, sub-year, etc. It has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is not only an important solar term among the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional folk ancestor worship festival in China. The solstice in winter is one of the eight festivals in four seasons, and it is considered as a big holiday in winter. In ancient times, there was a saying that the winter solstice was as big as a year.

2. ancestor worship: since the Zhou dynasty, there have been sacrificial activities held on the day of winter solstice. "Zhou Li Chun Guan Shenshi": "Winter solstice, to ghosts and gods." One day, many places will worship ancestors, and even the poorest families will take out their usual savings to buy new clothes and prepare sacrificial supplies.

3. Traditional diet: Every place in winter has its own special food, such as jiaozi in the north, Chaoshan glutinous rice balls, Ma Shi in the southeast, Taizhou glutinous rice balls, Hefei pumpkin pie, Ningbo sweet potato soup, Tengzhou mutton soup, Jiangnan rice, Suzhou wine making, etc. The custom of eating jiaozi in the north is to commemorate the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing, who gave up medicine on the solstice of winter. Liu Jiafan is from Chaoshan. Remember when I was a child in my hometown. On the solstice of winter, my parents will stick two winter festival rings on the doors and windows of my house, and some people will put them in conspicuous places such as tables, cabinets, ladders and beds. Fishermen's bows, farmers' horns, pig houses for raising pigs and fruit trees planted by fruit farmers are no exception. This is a sacrifice to the gods and the world to protect the family.

4, winter solstice health: winter solstice is one of the most important solar terms in health, mainly because "the winter solstice is a sunny day", so women and the elderly should pay special attention to keep warm and cold on this day, and at the same time, they can soak their feet at night, take proper supplements, and eat some liver-nourishing and liver-protecting foods such as spinach, celery and pig liver.