What is the origin of the traditional winter solstice?

The winter solstice is a very important solar term, and it is also a traditional festival in China's lunar calendar. Up to now, there are s

What is the origin of the traditional winter solstice?

The winter solstice is a very important solar term, and it is also a traditional festival in China's lunar calendar. Up to now, there are still many places where the winter solstice festival is held. The winter solstice is commonly known as "Winter Festival", "Dragon Solstice Festival" and "Asian New Year Festival". As early as 2500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, China had determined the winter solstice by observing the sun through the soil return, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms. How much do you know about the origin of these traditional festivals?

Traditional festivals: the source of winter solstice * * * Bilingual * * *

Introduction: The winter solstice is a very important solar term, and it is also a traditional festival of the China lunar calendar. Up to now, there are still many places that have the custom of winter solstice. The winter solstice is commonly known as "Winter Festival", "Dragon Solstice Festival" and "Asian New Year Festival". As early as 2500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, China had determined the winter solstice by observing the sun through the soil return, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms. The time is between February 22nd and 23rd of Gregorian calendar 12.

The winter solstice is the year with the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere. After the solstice in winter, the days will get longer day by day. The ancients said this about the winter solstice: As soon as the cathode arrived, the yang began to grow, the sun went south, the day was short and the shadow was long, so it was called "the winter solstice". After the winter solstice, the climate everywhere has entered the coldest stage, which is what people often say. There is a folk saying in China that "it's cold in March and hot in dog days". According to modern astronomical science, the sun shines directly on the tropic of Capricorn from the winter solstice, and the sun is most inclined to the northern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere has the shortest day and the longest night. After this day, the sun gradually moved to the north.

In ancient China, people attached great importance to the winter solstice and thought it was a grand festival. There is a saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year, and there is a custom to celebrate it. "Han Shu" said: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, and you are long, so congratulations." People think that after the winter solstice, the days become longer and longer and the sun rises. This is the beginning of a solar cycle and an auspicious day, which should be celebrated. The Book of Jin records: "On the winter solstice of Wei and Jin Dynasties, people from all over the world celebrated ... its appearance was not as good as that of Zheng Dan." Explain the ancient emphasis on the winter solstice.

Now, some places still celebrate the winter solstice as a festival. The northern region has the custom of slaughtering sheep and eating jiaozi and wonton from winter solstice, while the southern region has the custom of eating glutinous rice balls and long noodles from winter solstice on this day. There is also the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors in winter solstice in various regions.

As early as 2,500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period of 770-476 BC, China determined the time of the winter solstice by observing the movement of the sun with a sundial. This is the earliest of the 24 seasonal divisions. According to the Gregorian calendar, the time is1February 22nd or 23rd every year.

The northern hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night on this day. After the solstice in winter, the days will get longer and longer. As people in ancient China thought, positive things with yang or muscular muscles will become more and more powerful after this day, so they should be celebrated. The winter solstice became a festival in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Han people think that the winter solstice is a "winter festival", so officials will organize celebrations. On this day, officials and Mongols will have a rest. The troops moved in, the border fortress was closed, and commerce and tourism stopped. Relatives and friends give each other delicious food. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the solstice in winter was the day to worship the heavens and ancestors. The emperor will go to the suburbs to worship heaven; The Meng people offered sacrifices to their deceased parents or other relatives. In the Qing Dynasty, * *1644-191* * even recorded that "the solstice in winter is as formal as the Spring Festival", which shows that we attach great importance to this day.

In some parts of northern China, people eat jiaozi soup on this day; In other places, residents eat jiaozi, saying it can prevent them from freezing in the cold winter. But in some places in southern China, the whole family will get together and have a meal made of red beans and glutinous rice to drive away ghosts and other evil things. In other places, people also eat glutinous rice balls, a kind of stuffed jiaozi made of glutinous rice flour. The winter solstice zongzi can be used to worship ancestors or as gifts to relatives and friends. Taiwan Province people even keep the custom of offering nine-layer cakes to their ancestors. They use glutinous rice flour to make cakes in the sand of chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cows or sheep, and then steam them on different layers of the pot. These animals symbolize good luck in China tradition. People with the same surname or clan gather in their ancestral temples to worship their ancestors in chronological order. After the sacrificial ceremony, there will always be a grand banquet.

The Origin and Customs of China Traditional Festival —— Winter Solstice

Winter solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms and one of the most important solar terms. Winter solstice is a solar term divided by astronomy, which was called "short day" and "short day" in ancient times. From winter to the sun, the sun is located at 270 degrees of the Yellow Meridian, and the sun shines almost directly to the Tropic of Capricorn, which has the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. Accordingly, the daytime from winter solstice in the southern hemisphere is the longest in the whole year.

The winter solstice usually falls on the Gregorian calendar1February 2 1 day or 22nd. In ancient China, people attached great importance to the winter solstice and thought it was a grand festival. There is a saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year, and there is a custom to celebrate it. The Winter Solstice Festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been passed down to this day. Lu even said that the winter solstice is as big as a year. People think that the winter solstice is a natural transformation of yin and yang and a blessing from heaven. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was the "Winter Festival", and the government held a congratulatory ceremony called "He Dong", which was a routine festival. "Han Shu" said: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, and you are long, so congratulations." There is such a record in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Before and after the winter solstice, a gentleman was prepared for danger in times of peace, refused to listen to politics, and chose an auspicious day to save trouble." The Book of Jin records: "On the winter solstice of Wei and Jin Dynasties, people from all over the world celebrated ... its appearance was not as good as that of Zheng Dan." So on this day, the imperial court had a holiday, the army was on standby, the frontier fortress was closed, the business trip was closed, relatives and friends sent meals to each other, visited each other, and had a "quiet" holiday happily.

In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the solstice in winter was the day of ancestor worship. On this day, the emperor went to the suburbs to hold a ceremony to worship heaven. On this day, people must worship their parents. There are still some places to celebrate the winter solstice.

After thousands of years of development, a unique seasonal diet culture has been formed from winter solstice to Sunday. Such as wonton, jiaozi, glutinous rice balls, red bean porridge, millet and rice cakes. Can be used as new year's goods. The once popular "Winter Solstice Day Annual Banquet" has many names, such as eating winter solstice meat, offering winter solstice dishes, offering winter solstice groups, and worshiping winter with wonton.

There is a custom of eating 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.

The custom of Henan people eating jiaozi from winter solstice is commonly known as "pinching their ears". According to legend, Zhang Zhongjing, a doctor from Nanyang, was an official in Changsha. The day he retired coincided with the solstice winter, with heavy snow and biting wind. When he saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River in Nanyang had no clothes to cover their bodies and no food to eat, many people's ears were frozen and rotten, and he was very anxious. So I asked my entourage to set up a medicine shed in Guandong, Nanyang, and put mutton, pepper and some cold-dispelling herbs in a pot to cook, take them out and chop them up, and then cook them in a pot to make a medicine called "cold-dispelling and ear-correcting soup" for the people to eat. After eating it, the villagers' ears miraculously recovered. Later, on the solstice of winter, people imitated eating, thus forming the custom of "pinching their ears". Later people called it "jiaozi", or "flat food" and "instant noodle jiaozi".

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 the functions of aphrodisiac and tonic, and there is still a folk custom of tonic in winter to day.

In Taiwan Province Province, there is still a tradition of eating nine-layer cakes to worship ancestors on the solstice in winter. Glutinous rice flour is kneaded into chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cows, sheep and other animals symbolizing good luck, and then steamed in layers in a steamer to show ancestor worship and not forget 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 ancestors of the winter solstice festival are handed down from generation to generation in Taiwan Province to show that they have never forgotten their roots.

In Jiangnan water town, there is a custom that the whole family get together to eat red beans and glutinous rice in the evening from winter to Sunday. According to legend, * * * Gong was a troubled wit who died in the winter. Become a plague ghost after death and continue to harm the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice from winter solstice to drive away the epidemic ghost and prevent diseases.

Gusu region attaches great importance to the solar terms of the winter solstice. There is a proverb in Gusu region: "The winter solstice is like a new year". Traditional Gusu people will drink winter wine on the night of winter solstice. Winter wine is a kind of rice wine, which is brewed with sweet-scented osmanthus and has a pleasant aroma. Gusu people will drink winter wine on the night of winter solstice, and at the same time, they will serve all kinds of braised beef and braised mutton. In the cold winter, winter brewing can not only drive away the cold, but also entrust Gusu people with their good wishes for life.

Winter solstice is a rich festival. It is said that New Year's Day was the winter from the Japanese to the Zhou Dynasty in history, which used to be a very lively day. In today's Jiangnan area, there is another saying that eating winter makes you one year older, commonly known as "adding years"