The custom of celebrating the winter solstice in China.

The winter solstice, also known as the "Winter Festival", is an important solar term among the 24 solar terms and a traditional folk festival in China. In ancient times, there was a custom of worshipping ancestors from winter solstice, which was called "sub-year" or "off-year" by the ancients, which shows the important position of winter solstice in traditional festivals in China.

So, what are the customs on such an important day?

First, eat jiaozi.

As the saying goes, "On October 1st, the solstice of winter comes, and every household eats jiaozi." It can be seen that it is an essential custom to eat jiaozi on the solstice in winter. On the winter solstice of the Lunar New Year every year, jiaozi is an indispensable holiday feast. This custom is to commemorate Zhang Zhongjing's kindness in the winter of solstice.

Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", was a magistrate in Changsha. After resigning from his post and returning to his hometown, he saw that the villagers were sallow and emaciated, hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frozen. So, he ordered his disciples to set up a stove, put mutton and herbs for removing cold in a pot, then take them out and chop them up, make them into ear-shaped "charming ears" with bread, and give them to those who came to ask for medicine after cooking. After eating, people are warm all over, their ears are hot, and their frostbitten ears are cured. Later generations learned to look like Joule, wrapped it up and made it into food, so it was called "jiaozi".

Second, eliminate the cold.

On the second day after beginning of winter, the solstice began to count nine, which is what people call "beginning of winter counts nine". Nine days is 19, nine days is 29 and so on. The number "99" is the end of "99". "Nine flowers bloom", then it will be warm. After entering the ninth year, the literati engaged in the so-called activities to reduce the cold, and chose a "ninth day", when nine people drank ("wine" is homophonic with "nine"), and nine dishes and bowls were served on the table, and those who finished the table used "nine flowers" seats to get the meaning of reducing the cold in the ninth year.

In ancient times, there was a custom of painting nine plum blossoms in winter to the sun, such as the "Nine-Nine Cold Map" or "Sumei Map". Fill a petal every day. When all the petals are filled, it will be sunny in September. Pass the long winter poetically with painting.

Third, ancestor worship.

In the folk, the days around the winter solstice are the days to pay homage to ancestors. There are regional differences in the ways and contents of ancestor worship from the winter solstice to the sun, which has a strong local color. In some parts of our country, people pay homage to their parents and elders as well as their ancestors. People who go out to make a living should return to their hometown on the winter solstice, indicating that they have a home at the end of the year.

At present, there are still some places to celebrate the winter solstice. Every family provides genealogy, ancestor statues, memorial tablets, etc. In the hall at home, put tables, incense burners, offerings, etc. In some places, while offering sacrifices to ancestors, they also offer sacrifices to gods, land gods and deities, so as to make the next year's weather favorable and the family prosperous.

Fourth, red bean glutinous rice

Eating red beans and glutinous rice in winter originated from the water town in the south of the Yangtze River. On the solstice of winter, the whole family get together and enjoy the sweet glutinous red bean glutinous rice, which is full of happiness.

This custom comes from folklore: * * There was a gifted scholar in Gong's family who did many evils and died in the winter. Become a plague ghost after death, most afraid of red beans. Therefore, people eat red bean rice on the solstice in winter to drive away epidemic ghosts and prevent diseases.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) gives shoes and hats.

On the solstice of winter, people have the custom of giving away shoes. "Ancient and Modern China" said: "There were embroidered mandarin ducks and embroidered shoes in the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Zhao ordered his aunt to go to the winter solstice." With the passage of time, the custom of sending shoes to uncles and aunts has gradually evolved into sending shoes and hats to nephews and nieces. In ancient times, hand embroidery was for women. Shoes are embroidered with flowers and birds, and hats are made into phoenix shapes. For men, shoe embroidery is mostly a beast, and hats are also tigers.

In the past, it was mainly hand embroidery, but now most of it is bought from the market, and the form is also keeping up with the trend of the times.

Judging from the winter solstice custom that has been passed down to this day, the time system and concept of the ancients represent a cultural affiliation. During the solar term from the winter solstice, ordinary people create a new state of mind that they look forward to in the coldest environment by eating jiaozi and drawing "pictures to dispel cold", which brings a feeling of * * * and condenses everyone's sense of identity. In this sense, the earliest "winter solstice" solar term formulated by the ancients actually contains a philosophy of life.