Traditional cultural significance of winter solstice

Traditional cultural significance of winter solstice

The traditional cultural significance of winter solstice. As a festival, 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 solstice in winter was the beginning of the New Year. Let's look at the traditional cultural significance of the winter solstice.

The traditional cultural significance of winter solstice 1 the origin of winter solstice;

Winter solstice is the earliest of the 24 solar terms, but most people don't know that the origin of winter solstice actually comes from the planning of a national capital. As early as more than 3,000 years ago, Duke Zhou began to measure the shadow with the method of soil rules and measure the position of the world in Luoyi, which was a move of political significance at that time, but it became one of the festivals that affected future generations for thousands of years.

When the Duke of Zhou arrived in Luoyang, he measured that Luoyang was "in the world" by the method of returning to the soil, and then began to divine the country and the land. It is recorded in Shangshu Luogu that the Duke of Zhou "Panluo City" made some investigations in several places around Luoyang, and finally determined that Jianshui East, Zhuoshui West and Zhuoshui East are "Weiluo City" (all good places to build ancestral halls). The historical fact that the Duke of Zhou chose the base site of Luoyi through the "investigation of returning to the land" was recorded in ancient books and was regarded as the law of sealing the country by later generations.

The purpose of "Topography of Tugui" is to find out "in the soil" (the center of China). The essence of this method is that "the tree is eight feet high and the summer solstice is five inches long;" On the solstice of winter, the scene is one foot, three feet and five inches long (that is, an eight-foot high benchmark is erected). On the summer solstice, the shadow at noon is 65,438+0.5 feet, and on the winter solstice, the shadow at noon is 65,438+03.5 feet). "The depth of the soil is measured, the shadow is positive, and the land is searched. It stops at four o'clock." What is measured by this method is the theoretical position of Luoyang and Luoyi in the soil.

According to the investigation of Duke Zhou, Zhou people made a detailed plan for the first national capital after the demise of Shang Dynasty. "Yizhou Zuoluo Book" said: "It is a great city, growing in the soil for a week, ... in Luoshui in the south and Mangshan in the north, and the world is in harmony." . After the national society (capital and ancestral temple) was completed, Duke Zhou formulated the national etiquette system in detail in the Rite and Music System, Famous Hall of Chengzhou. According to records, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is winter and November, and the winter solstice is the beginning of the New Year. In other words, Duke Zhou chose the longest day in the "sun shadow" measured by the Tugui method as the New Year.

From meditation to Qin dynasty, winter is always the same as the beginning of the year. This is still the case in the Han Dynasty. There is a saying in Hanshu: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, so congratulations ..." In other words, people originally celebrated the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival 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. As a festival, the winter solstice originated in the Zhou Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been passed down to this day. The first month of the week calendar is November of the summer calendar. Therefore, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to today's November, so there is no difference between New Year greetings and He Dong. It was not until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar that the first month was separated from the solstice in winter. Therefore, it can also be said that the "Winter Solstice Festival" began in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has existed ever since.

The custom of winter solstice:

On the solstice of winter, the days get longer and longer. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, ladies-in-waiting have used an extra thread every day from winter to the future. This is what the folks say, "After eating the winter solstice meal, the queue will become longer one day." Since winter solstice, people often draw 8 1 petal on plum blossom, which is called "the map of' 99 cold'. If a petal is painted red every day, it will be "Jiujiu", so the solstice in winter is also called "Counting Nine".

The solstice in winter is the longest night in a year. Many people use this evening to make a "winter solstice circle" with glutinous rice flour. In order to distinguish it from "saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new" on the eve of the Spring Festival, the day before the Winter Festival is called "adding the year" or "dividing the year", which means that the year is not over yet, but everyone has grown up for a year.

Some "bask in winter rice" on this day. Is to wash the white rice with water, expose it to the sun on this day, collect it and cook porridge for the sick.

Winter solstice diet culture

After thousands of years of development, a unique seasonal diet culture has been formed from winter solstice to Sunday. A more common custom is to eat wonton on the solstice in winter. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, people in Lin 'an ate wonton on the solstice in winter. At first, it was to worship ancestors, and then it gradually became popular. There is a folk saying that "there are wonton on the solstice in winter and noodles on the solstice in summer". Today, wonton has become a famous snack with many kinds, different productions and delicious taste all over the country, which is deeply loved by people. Wonton has many names, such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang Wonton, Guangdong Wonton, Hubei Noodle, Jiangxi Clear Soup, Sichuan Wonton, Xinjiang Ququ and so on.

Eating jiaozi is also a traditional custom from winter solstice, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. "Tangyuan" is an essential food from winter solstice, and it is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Round" means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice is also called "the winter solstice group". There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". The winter solstice group can be used to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. In the past, Shanghainese were most particular about eating jiaozi. An ancient poem said, "Every family beats rice to make glutinous rice balls, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty.

In many places in the north, there is a custom of eating dog meat and mutton from winter to Sunday, because the weather enters the coldest period from winter to the future. Chinese medicine believes that mutton and dog meat have aphrodisiac and nourishing effects, and there is still a folk custom of tonic in winter solstice.

In Taiwan Province Province, China, the tradition of offering nine-layer cakes to ancestors from winter to the sun is still preserved. Glutinous rice flour is used to knead animals such as chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cattle and sheep. , a symbol of good luck, and then put it in a steamer and steam it layer by layer to worship the ancestors to show that they don't forget their ancestors. In the early days of the winter solstice or before and after the agreement, people with the same surname and clan gather in the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors one by one in the order of generations. After the ceremony, there will be a grand banquet for the people who come to worship their ancestors. Everyone drinks heartily and meets again after a long separation, which is called "food ancestor". The winter solstice festival has been handed down from generation to generation in Taiwan Province Province to show that the "root" has not been forgotten.

The traditional cultural significance of the winter solstice 2 Why did the ancients attach great importance to this festival?

In ancient times, due to the underdeveloped astronomical calendar, we attached great importance to observing the shadow of the sun, and attached great importance to the four days of winter solstice, summer solstice, vernal equinox and autumn equinox. From winter to the sun, the sun shadow is the longest, that is, the slope is the largest and the day is the shortest. From this day on, the days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter and shorter. So the ancients thought it was the beginning of everything in Yin and Yang. Therefore, every year from winter to Sunday, the court will hold a grand ceremony, and the ceremony is very grand.

Shen Yue's Song Shu said: "The winter solstice is like a yuan." It can be seen that Yuan is as important as Japan. There is also the custom of entering shoes and socks. In the Middle Ages, women often made shoes and socks for their in-laws on the solstice of winter. There is also the custom of making red bean porridge.

The solstice in winter has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is not only a natural solar term, but also a traditional festival to worship ancestors. Winter solstice is one of the eight festivals in a year. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has a tradition of offering sacrifices to ancestors from the winter solstice to the sun to show filial piety and not forgetting the roots. Due to different local customs and habits, the forms of ancestor worship are also different.

Historically, the winter solstice was regarded as a big holiday in winter. The saying that the solstice in winter is as big as a year is widely circulated among the people. Winter solstice is also called "sub-year" and "off-year", which means that a year is coming, and winter solstice is very important. When the winter solstice arrives, the New Year is just around the corner, so the ancients thought that the winter solstice was as important as the New Year. In ancient times, people wandering in other places had to go home for the winter festival at this time, which was called "having a home at the end of the year".

The winter solstice was still very grand in the Tang Dynasty. Ren Yuan, a Japanese monk, recorded in The Exploration of Dharma in the Tang Dynasty (Volume I): On November 27th, three years, during the winter solstice festival, Taoism and custom exchanged greetings. Those who live in customs worship officials and celebrate the winter solstice. When he met Xianggong, he said, "With the passage of luck, the sky will grow to the south, and Fu Wei's Xianggong will be honored." Noble and humble officials and people meet to congratulate each other. Monks meet, worship, recite winter solstice poems and worship each other. There is also a ceremony for laymen to enter the temple. There is also a long passage below, which records the etiquette and language of the monks in the temple congratulating each other. The day before, Ren Yuan recorded: "At night, people are salty and don't sleep." This is the same as keeping watch on New Year's Eve.

Ren Yuan believed that the winter solstice in the Tang Dynasty was as grand as the first day of the first month. However, there are few documents about the winter solstice and the Spring Festival in the Tang Dynasty, so this record is very valuable for broadening our horizons.

The traditional cultural significance of Solstice in Winter —— The significance and origin of Solstice in Winter.

Solstice is a traditional festival in China and one of the 24 solar terms in China. On the solstice of winter, there is a custom of eating glutinous rice balls in the south and jiaozi in the north.

The significance of winter solstice:

When the cold comes, winter officially begins.

The winter solstice is the most important of the 24 solar terms. According to the Gregorian calendar, the winter solstice is usually on February 22-23 12 every year (this year is the 22nd 12: 09). On this day, the sun moves to the longitude of the Yellow River at 270 degrees, with the southernmost latitude, and the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn. In the northern hemisphere, the day is the shortest and the night is the longest (in the Arctic Circle, it is night for 24 hours). On the day of winter solstice, the height of the sun at noon in the northern hemisphere is also the lowest. For example, in Beijing, the height of the sun is only 26 42', because the shadow at noon is the longest, so it is also called "growing to the sun".

China attached great importance to the winter solstice in ancient times, and stipulated that the same month as the winter solstice was the "sub-month", which was the first branch of the twelve solar terms. Therefore, the winter solstice is still a traditional festival, commonly known as "Winter Festival" and "Dragon Solstice Festival". From the solstice of winter, the days will gradually get longer. The ancients thought that this was "the arrival of cathode and the beginning of yang", so the solstice in winter was regarded as the real starting point of the one-year cycle, the natural destiny cycle and the growth cycle of all things. Among the hexagrams representing the winter solstice, the bottom of the six yin hexagrams became the yang hexagram, so the winter solstice is also called "the birth of one yang".

The origin of winter solstice:

As early as more than 2,500 years ago in the Spring and Autumn Period, China had observed the sun with earth gauges and determined the winter solstice, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms and a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. During the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, it was stipulated that the day before the winter solstice was the end of the year, and the winter solstice was equivalent to the Spring Festival. Later, the summer calendar was implemented. However, the winter solstice has always ranked first among the 24 solar terms, and it is called "dividing the year".

People originally celebrated the Winter Solstice Festival to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the sun be the spirit of heaven and earth began to flourish, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which was a lucky day. Therefore, later, during the Spring Festival, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners often appeared on the winter solstice. As a festival, the winter solstice originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has continued to this day.