What is the traditional cultural meaning of the winter solstice?

Traditional Cultural Significance of Winter Solstice

Traditional Cultural Significance of Winter Solstice. Winter solstice as a festival, so far there are more than 2,500 years of history according to records, the Zhou Qin era to the winter November as the first month, the winter solstice for the first year of the New Year. Here we look at the winter solstice traditional cultural significance.

Winter Solstice Traditional Cultural Significance 1

Origin of the Winter Solstice:

The winter solstice was one of the first of the 24 solar terms to be formulated, however, most people don't realize that the origins of the winter solstice actually came from a national-level planning of the capital city. More than 3,000 years ago, the Duke of Zhou used the earth-guillotine method of shadow measurement to determine the location of the center of the world in Luoyi, which was a politically significant move at the time, but became one of the festivals that would influence future generations for thousands of years.

The Duke of Zhou went to Luoyang and used the earth-guide method to measure the location of Luoyang as the "center of the world", and then began to divine the auspicious location of the country. The Shangshu - Luo Guan records: Zhou Gong "Dynasty to the Luo Shi", Luoyang surrounding several places to do the investigation, and finally determined that the east of the Jianshui, the west of the Chanshui River, the east of the Chanshui River, "but Luo food" (are good places to build the temple and the gods of the earth and grain). The historical fact that the Duke of Zhou selected the base site of Luoyi by "measuring the landscape with the earth-guide" was recorded in the ancient books, and it was also regarded as the established law of statehood by the descendants.

The purpose of the "earth-guide survey" was to find the "center of the earth" (the center of China). The essence of this method is "tree eight feet of the table, the summer solstice, Jing long feet have five inches; winter solstice, Jing long one zhang three feet five inches" (that is, put up the 8-foot-high benchmark, observed on the summer solstice, the sun shadow at noon is 1.5 feet, winter solstice at noon is 13.5 feet), "measuring the depth of the earth, the correct shadow of the day, to find the center of the earth, check the four times of the year. Seek the center of the earth and check the four seasons". What is measured in this way is the theoretical location of the "earth" Luoyang, "Luoyi".

In accordance with the Zhou Gong shadow measurement set in the world, the Zhou people detailed planning for the first national capital after the destruction of the Shang Dynasty, "Yi Zhou Shu - for the Luo Luo", "was made into a large eup euphony in the soil in the Zhou, ...... south of the system in the Luoshui, north of Mang Mountain, as the world's largest miniaturization. " . After the completion of the state of the country (the capital city, the temple), the Duke of Zhou made the rites and music in the Hall of Cheng Zhou, and formulated the national ceremonial system in detail. According to the records, the Zhou Dynasty took the eleventh month of the winter as the first month, and took the winter solstice as the first day of the year to celebrate the New Year, that is to say, the Duke of Zhou selected the "sun and shadow" in the middle of the year measured by the method of the Earth Gui. "In other words, the Duke of Zhou chose the longest day of the year, measured by the method of TuGui, as the day of the beginning of the new year.

From Zhou to Qin, the winter solstice as the head of the year has remained unchanged. To the Han Dynasty is still the same, "Han Shu" has a cloud: "winter solstice Yang Qi, Jun Dao long, so He ......", that is, people initially winter solstice festival is to celebrate the arrival of the new year.

The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the yang qi of heaven and earth began to rise gradually stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle, is a day of great good fortune. As a result, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners during the Spring Festival, which were later generalized, often occurred on the winter solstice as well. The winter solstice is also known as the "small year", which means that the year is approaching and there are not many days left; secondly, it indicates the importance of the winter solstice. The winter solstice as a holiday to pass from the Zhou Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and continues to this day. The first month of the weekly calendar for the November of the summer calendar, therefore, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to today's November, so worship and winter and congratulations are not separate. It was not until Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar that the first month and the winter solstice were separated. Therefore, it can also be said that the special "winter solstice festival" is since the Han Dynasty only after the flourishing in the Tang and Song dynasties, and continue to this day.

Customs of the winter solstice:

From the winter solstice, the day grows longer. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, the court ladies after the winter solstice of the female red, every day to use an extra thread. This is also known as the folk said "eat the winter solstice meal, a day long line". From the winter solstice on "into the nine", people tend to paint a branch of plain plum on this day, there are eighty-one petals, called "nine nine elimination of cold map", every day with the red paint a petal, paint all the "out of nine!

The winter solstice is the longest night of the year, many people use this night, with glutinous rice flour to do the "winter solstice round", in order to distinguish it from the later Spring Festival on the eve of the "resignation", the day before the winter festival is called the "Tim year" or "sub-year", said the "year" is not yet over, but everyone has grown a year old.

Some in this day "dry winter rice". It is the white rice washed with water, exposed to the sun on this day, and then collected, reserved for future sick people to cook porridge to eat.

Winter Solstice Food Culture

Winter Solstice after thousands of years of development, the formation of a unique seasonal food culture. The more common` is the custom of eating wontons on the winter solstice. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an people ate wontons on the winter solstice, began to worship ancestors, and then gradually flourished, folk have "winter solstice wontons summer solstice noodles" said. Hundun development so far, more become a variety of names, production of different, fresh and delicious, all over the country, loved by the people's famous snacks. Wonton name a lot of places such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang and most of the places called wontons, while Guangdong is called wonton, Hubei, said the bag of noodles, Jiangxi, said the soup, Sichuan, said the hand, Xinjiang, said Qu Qu and so on.

Eating dumplings is also a traditional winter solstice custom, especially prevalent in Jiangnan. "Tangyuan" is the winter solstice necessary food, is a kind of glutinous rice flour made of round dessert, "round" means "reunion", "complete! "Round" means "reunion" and "complete", and eating soup dumplings on the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice dough". Folk have "eaten dumplings a year older" said. Winter Solstice Dumplings can be used to offer sacrifices to ancestors, and can also be used to give gifts to friends and relatives. In the old days, Shanghainese people paid most attention to eating soup dumplings. There is an ancient poem that says: "Every family pounded rice to make dumplings, knowing that it is the winter solstice day of the Ming Dynasty.

There are many places in the north, in the winter solstice this day have eaten dog meat and mutton custom, because after the winter solstice weather into the coldest period, Chinese medicine believes that mutton and dog meat have yang tonic body has the effect of the folk so far have winter solstice have to supplement the `customs.

In China, Taiwan also preserved the winter solstice with nine layers of cake ancestor tradition, with glutinous rice flour pinched chicken, duck, turtle, pig, cow, sheep and other symbols of good luck in the meaning of Fuk Luk Shou animals, and then steamed with a steamer layer steamed to ancestor, to show that we do not forget the old ancestors. The same family name with the clan on the winter solstice or around the agreed upon date, set to the ancestral shrine in accordance with the order of the eldest and youngest, one by one to pay homage to the ancestors, commonly known as "ancestor worship". After the ceremony, a feast is organized to entertain the ancestors. After the ceremony, a feast is held to entertain the relatives who come to pay tribute to their ancestors, and they drink freely and contact each other with their feelings after a long time of separation, which is called "eating the ancestors". The winter solstice festival has been passed down from generation to generation in Taiwan to show that they do not forget their "roots"

Winter Solstice Traditional Cultural Significance 2

Why the ancients attached great importance to the "winter solstice" this festival

Ancient times Because the astronomical calendar is not developed enough, so attach great importance to the observation of the sun and shadow, attach great importance to the winter solstice, summer solstice, spring equinox, autumn equinox these four days. The day of the winter solstice, the sun's shadow is the longest, that is, the greatest slope, the day is the shortest. From this day onwards, the day grows longer and the night grows shorter. Therefore, the ancients believed that it is the beginning of the yin and yang of all things, therefore, every winter solstice, the court will hold a grand ceremony, the ceremony is very grand.

Shen Yao "Song Shu" said: "Winter Solstice dynasty congratulations to enjoy the sacrifice, are like the rituals of the New Year's Day." Can be seen with the first day of the year and the importance of the day. Another custom into the shoes and socks. In the Middle Ages, women often made shoes and socks for their in-laws on the winter solstice. There is also the custom of making adzuki bean porridge.

The winter solstice has both natural and humanistic connotations, and is both a natural festival point and a traditional festival of ancestor worship. The winter solstice is one of the eight festivals of the year, and the Chinese people have had the tradition of worshipping their ancestors on the winter solstice since ancient times to show filial piety and honor and not forgetting their roots. Due to the different rituals and customs, the form of ancestor worship also varies.

Historically, the winter solstice was regarded as a major winter festival. In folklore, it is widely rumored that the winter solstice is as big as the New Year, and it is also called "the year of the year" and "the small year", which means that the year is approaching, and the importance of the winter solstice is also expressed. Once the winter solstice arrives, the New Year is just around the corner, so the ancients considered the winter solstice to be no less important than the New Year. In ancient times, people drifted in the field to this time of the year to go home for the winter festival, the so-called "end of the year, some home".

The winter solstice was still celebrated in the Tang Dynasty. Japanese monk Yuan Ren in the "into the Tang to seek the law tour" (Volume I) records: Kai Cheng three years November 27, the winter solstice festival, Taoist and secular gifts to congratulate. Those who live in the common people, pay homage to the officials, congratulate the winter solstice festival. See Sanggong that is: "sundial luck shift, the day south long to, Fu Wei Sanggong honor body Wanfu." All officials and people met and congratulated each other. Sisters meet to pay their respects, oral solstice words, worship each other. Laypeople who entered temples also had the same rituals. There is also a long passage below that describes the rituals and language used by monks in temples to congratulate each other. On the day before, Yuan Ren records that "At night, people do not sleep." This is then the same as the New Year's Eve observance.

According to Yuanren, the winter solstice in the Tang dynasty was as grand as the first day of the first month in Japan. But the Tang dynasty winter solstice and the Spring Festival is similar to the literature is rare, so this record for the broadening of our horizons is very valuable information.

The significance and origin of the winter solstice

The winter solstice is a traditional festival in China, and the winter solstice is also one of the twenty-four seasons of our country, in the winter solstice, there has been a south to eat soup dumplings, and the north to eat dumplings of the custom

Winter solstice significance:

The winter solstice is the most important of the 24 solar terms. According to the Gregorian calendar, the winter solstice cross section is generally in December 22-23 each year (this year is the 22nd 12:19), this day the sun runs to 270 degrees of longitude, latitude, the most southern, sunlight directly to the Tropic of Capricorn, the northern hemisphere day is the shortest, the longest darkness (the Arctic Circle is within the 24 hours of darkness). Winter solstice this day, the northern hemisphere at noon the height of the sun is also the lowest, for example, in Beijing, the sun height of only 26 ° 42 ′, because this day at noon the longest shadow of the table, it is also known as the "long solstice".

Ancient China attached great importance to the winter solstice, the provisions of the winter solstice of the ` month for the "son of the month", is the first of the twelve branches of the order. Therefore, the winter solstice is also a traditional festival, commonly known as the "winter festival", "long solstice festival" and so on. From the winter solstice, the day will gradually become longer, the ancients believe that this is the "yin pole of the arrival, Yang Qi Begins to grow", so the winter solstice as the annual cycle, nature's cycle of qi, the real starting point of the growth cycle of all things. In the hexagram on behalf of the winter solstice, the six yin lines of the six yin lines of the bottom one has become a yang line, so the winter solstice is also known as "a Yang Sheng".

Winter Solstice Origin:

As early as in the Spring and Autumn Period more than two thousand five hundred years ago, China has used the earth to observe the sun, determined the winter solstice, which is one of the 24 solar terms in the earliest developed, but also a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. During the Yin and Zhou periods, the day before the winter solstice was designated as the day of the end of the year, and the winter solstice festival was equivalent to the Spring Festival. Later, the summer calendar was implemented. But the winter solstice has always been ranked in the first of the 24 solar terms, called "sub-year".

People initially celebrated the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival of a new year. The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the yang energy of heaven and earth began to grow stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which was a very auspicious day. As a result, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners during the Spring Festival often occurred on the winter solstice. The winter solstice as a festival to pass from the Han Dynasty, the prevalence of the Tang and Song dynasties, and continue to this day.