Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice is a very important solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar and a traditional festival. There are still many places that have the custom of celebrating the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice is commonly known as the “Winter Festival”, “Long Solstice Festival”, “Sub-Year”, etc. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period more than 2,500 years ago, my country had used a gnomon to observe the sun to determine the arrival of the Winter Solstice. It was the earliest of the 24 solar terms. The time is between December 22nd or 23rd of the Gregorian calendar every year.
The Winter Solstice is the day with the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere throughout the year. After the Winter Solstice, the day will get longer day by day. The ancients said about the Winter Solstice: the yin reaches its extreme, the yang begins to grow, the sun reaches its southernmost point, the day is the shortest, and the shadow is the longest, so it is called “Winter Solstice”. After the Winter Solstice, the climate in all places enters the coldest stage, which is often called “entering the nines”. There is a saying among the Chinese people that “it’s cold in the three nines and hot in the three fus”.
According to modern astronomical science, on the winter solstice, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, the sunlight is most inclined to the northern hemisphere, the day is the shortest and the night is the longest in the northern hemisphere, and after this day, the sun gradually moves north again.
In ancient my country, the winter solstice was taken very seriously and regarded as a major festival. There was a saying that “the winter solstice is as big as the New Year”, and there was a custom of celebrating the winter solstice. The “Book of Han” says: “The yang energy rises on the winter solstice, and the emperor’s way is long, so it is celebrated.” People believe that after the winter solstice, the daytime is longer and longer, and the yang energy rises. It is the beginning of a solar term cycle and an auspicious day that should be celebrated. The “Book of Jin” records that “the winter solstice in the Wei and Jin dynasties was congratulated by all countries and officials… The ceremony was inferior to the New Year’s Day.” This shows the importance of the winter solstice in ancient times.
Nowadays, some places still celebrate the winter solstice as a festival. In the northern region, there is a custom of slaughtering sheep, eating dumplings and wontons on the winter solstice, while in the southern region, there is a custom of eating winter solstice rice balls and long noodles on this day. In various regions, there is a custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors on the day of the winter solstice.
The winter solstice is a festival with rich contents. It is said that the winter solstice was the New Year’s Day in the Zhou Dynasty in history, and it was once a very lively day. In the Jiangnan area today, there is still a saying that eating the winter solstice dinner will make you one year older, commonly known as “adding a year”.
Post time: Dec-21-2024