The winter solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms in China, and it is also an important traditional festival in China. The winter solstice festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and is still present today. "Qing Jialu" even said that "the winter solstice is as big as the year", which shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. So what are the customs of the winter solstice?
Sacrifice
The rulers of the past dynasties chose to sacrifice to the sky on the winter solstice. "Sacrifice to the sky" is a ritual that must be held on the winter solstice to pray for disasters and blessings. Among the folks, there is a custom of worshipping ancestors on the winter solstice day. On this day, people also worship their parents and elders. In ancient times, there was a custom of offering shoes and socks to the elderly, and this custom has been passed down to this day.
Eat dumplings
Every year on the winter solstice day, eating dumplings is an indispensable holiday meal. The folk song says: "If you don't serve dumpling bowls during the winter solstice, no one will care if you freeze your ears." According to legend, on the way back to his hometown, Zhang Zhongjing, a medical scientist in the Eastern Han Dynasty, saw many unclothed poor people trembling with cold, and their ears were smashed. So Zhang Zhongjing asked his apprentice to make a kind of herbal medicine and dough skin. The decoction of "Quichan Jiao Er Tang" gradually evolved into today's dumplings. So, on the winter solstice day, every family will always make dumplings and eat them.
Eat rice balls
Eating glutinous rice balls is also a traditional custom in the winter solstice, especially in the south. "Yuan" means "reunion" and "consummation", and eating dumplings in winter solstice is also called "winter solstice group". There is a saying among the folks that "eating glutinous rice balls one year older".
Nine-nine cold
When the winter solstice arrives, start counting "nine". In ancient times, after entering the Nine, literati and literati likes to chill out. On the "Nine" day, meet nine people for a drink. Nine dishes and nine bowls are used on the table. The meaning of quenching the cold.
Evolving to modern times, the Winter Solstice Festival is more a day of reunion. Chinese people in many places around the world hold some banquets with lights mainly to celebrate this festival. Such as lantern display, campfire and candlelight decoration.
