The winter solstice is an important solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar and a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. On the day of the winter solstice, the sun reaches the north of the Tropic of Capricorn, with the longest nights, shortest days, and the heaviest yin. Therefore, the winter solstice is regarded as a big festival of winter and is described as "the winter solstice is as big as the year". In the earliest days, the ancients regarded it as the Spring Festival when they came to the Shang Week, and the day before the winter solstice was the middle of the year, which is the same as the current Chinese New Year's Eve. During the Han Dynasty, the whole country would have a holiday on the winter solstice, the emperor did not listen to the government, the civil and military officials did not go to court, and the common people were lively and lively for the festival. Although the winter solstice is now in front of the upcoming Christmas in the West, there is no great sense of existence, and there is no holiday.
However, we should pay attention to the fact that according to the ancestors, there are six taboos on the winter solstice, and violating the taboos will bring misfortune. Here are the main winter solstice taboos, how many have you committed?
The first is "not ** winter solstice for a year", that is, it is not recommended that couples sleep in the same bed on the day of the winter solstice.
Because the night is the longest, the day is the shortest, and the yin qi is the heaviest during the winter solstice, so the harmony of yin and yang is emphasized in the folk, and the husband and wife are not encouraged to share the same bed.
The second is "not going far".
The winter solstice is also a day of reunion and ancestor worship, and people usually choose to stay at home and not go out for a long journey. In addition to this, the daylight hours are short and the nights are long, and if you go out during the day, you will walk in the dark when you return home. Due to the fear of darkness, the ancients did not advocate going out on the day of the winter solstice. There are also people who think that if they go out at this time, they are likely to be affected by factors such as weather and traffic, and they will not be able to return home in time. In addition, the winter solstice is also the day of reunion and ancestor worship, people stay at home to reunite with their families, worship their ancestors, in ancient times, people pay great attention to the harmony of yin and yang, and think that the winter solstice is a time when yin and yang are intertwined, and special attention needs to be paid to health preservation.
The third taboo is "not going out at night".
In ancient times, people believed that the winter solstice was a ghost festival, because the cold weather and heavy yin qi would strengthen all kinds of supernatural phenomena, so the records of the spring officials and priests mentioned that it was best not to go out after nine o'clock in the evening, or to carry salt to ward off evil spirits.
Another taboo is "saying unlucky things".
On the day of the winter solstice, it is especially taboo to say unlucky words to avoid bad luck. People's fate is on the lips, what you usually say, you will say your own fate, always through all the people and things to yourself to make positive psychological hints, you are a blessed person in this life. If you haven't learned this, or to comfort yourself occasionally, but often take some bad things to yourself, you will be a miserable person in this life. A prophecy is a proverb, that is, an unlucky word that is only casually said has come true. If you always put unlucky words on your lips, then the subconscious will believe and agree, language determines thinking, and thinking determines behavior.
There is also a taboo of "not staying up late".
According to the ancient concept of focusing on the harmony of yin and yang, the winter solstice is considered to be the day when yin qi is the heaviest. If you stay up late, it will lead to an imbalance of yin and yang, especially for the elderly and children. Therefore, on the day of the winter solstice, people should go to bed early and get up early, maintain enough sleep, and follow the laws of nature to maintain the balance of yin and yang in the body.
The last taboo is "not going back to your parents' home".
There is a folk saying that returning to his parents' house on the day of the winter solstice is not good for his father-in-law. In rural areas, there are also sayings such as the winter solstice does not overwinter and the father-in-law dies in winter. Although these ideas are regarded as relatively feudal, everyone is still careful to abide by them and dare not deliberately offend. Of course, the winter solstice is not only taboo, there are also some customs worth following. Our ancestors have inherited many delicacies related to the winter solstice, such as mutton, mutton soup, dumplings, wontons, etc. in the north, and tangyuan, rice balls, winter solstice noodles and other delicacies with different meanings in the south, all of which are ways to express good wishes.
In your hometown, what other folk customs are there on the winter solstice?Welcome to leave a message to discuss. See you in the next issue.