The custom of sweeping graves during the winter solstice

Every household places ancestor statues, tablets, etc. in the upper hall of the home, sets up the offering table, arranges incense burners, offerings, etc. While worshiping ancestors, some places also offer sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth, and kowtow to the gods to pray for good weather and prosperity for the family and everything in the coming year.

Many places in southern my country celebrate the winter solstice. The traditional custom of ancestor worship continues in the southern coastal areas such as western Guangdong, Chaoshan, and parts of Zhejiang.

Winter Solstice is commonly known as "Winter Festival", "Chang Zhi Festival" or "Yasui Festival". The winter solstice has both natural and cultural connotations. It is not only an important solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, but also the most unique traditional festival of the Chinese nation. Extended information

Other customs of the Winter Solstice

On the Winter Solstice Festival, boys in northern Shanxi are used to playing the game of Ganggang. Each holds a square stone piece as big as the palm of one's hand. One side stands it up, and the other side follows the prescribed set of movements, throwing and aiming in order. When you knock down the post erected by the opponent, continue going down.

After failure, exchange throws with the opponent. The first to complete all procedures wins. Girls are used to playing shuttlecock in various forms. People often want to join in the fun and play.

During the Winter Solstice Festival, it is also an old custom for the school director to take the lead and entertain teachers at a banquet. The teacher will lead the students to worship the tablet of Confucius. Then the academic director will lead the students to pay homage to their teacher. There is a proverb among the Han people in Shanxi, "Teaching on the Winter Solstice", which refers to this custom of respecting teachers. To this day, Han people still have the custom of inviting teachers to dinner during the Winter Solstice Festival. In northwestern Shanxi, it is customary to entertain teachers with stewed mutton, which is very affectionate.

In the past, those who worked as domestic workers used to settle wages with their employers during the Winter Solstice Festival and prepare to go home. It is tradition for the owner to hold a banquet to entertain the employees and discuss matters for the next year. Today, some rural self-employed enterprises still retain this custom and hold banquets and drinks during the Winter Solstice Festival.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Winter Solstice