Why is the winter solstice a traditional festival?

1. The winter solstice festival is also called the winter festival and the winter festival. It is not only one of the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional festival in China. There is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as a year", which has always been valued by the court and the people. Since the Zhou Dynasty, there have been sacrificial activities. Zhou Li Chun Guan Shen Shi: "With the coming of winter, we are in front of ghosts and gods." The purpose is to pray and eliminate the epidemic in the country and reduce the famine and death of the people.

The winter solstice has a history of more than 2500 years. According to records, in the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, winter and November were the first month, and the winter solstice was the first year of the New Year. The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the yang of heaven and earth began to flourish and become stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which is a good day. Therefore, later, during the Spring Festival, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners often appeared on the winter solstice. The winter solstice is also called "off-year". First, it shows that the year is approaching and there are not many days left. The second is to show the importance of the winter solstice.

3. The origin of the custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors from the winter solstice was recorded as early as Cui Ai's "Four-person Moon Order" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, saying that the people wanted to present something to Xuan Ming and Zuyou. "Dream of Tokyo" tells the story of the Winter Solstice Festival, which is the most important day in the capital. Today, it is easier to wear new clothes, prepare meals and enjoy ancestor worship. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, ancestor worship was popular from winter to the sun. Jiajing's "Jiangyin County Records" records: "On holidays, the portrait of Zukao is hung in nave, and a ceremony is set up, and its ceremony depends on New Year's Day." In the southern region where the clan system is prosperous, ancestor worship is often held in ancestral temples. Records of Nankang County, Jiajing, Jiangxi Province: "Worship on the winter solstice precedes the ancestral hall, and the tomb is as bright as a tomb." The custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors from the winter solstice is popular in Fujian. For example, Wanli's "Jianyang County Records" said: "It is a ritual for Japanese families to offer sacrifices to ancestors." During the winter solstice of the Qing Dynasty, ancestor worship was generally held at home, in front of graves and in places where southerners lived in compact communities. Often, like Qingming and Zhongyuan, ancestors sacrificed in temples at home.