The origin of the winter solstice can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in ancient China. At that time, people already had a record of celestial observations and began to study the changes in the length of day and night. They found that on the winter solstice, the length of the day reached the shortest, and the length of the night reached the longest. This phenomenon aroused people's attention and interest, and some celebrations and customs about the winter solstice began to take place.
As time goes by, people have become more aware of the winter solstice and have taken this festival more and more. During the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice became one of the official and important festivals. People perform special activities around this festival, such as worshipping ancestors, praying for a good harvest and peace. At the same time, the winter solstice has also become a time for people to reunite and communicate, and family and friends will gather together to celebrate the festive season.
By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the importance of the winter solstice was further enhanced. On the day of the winter solstice, the emperor would hold grand celebrations, such as sacrificing heaven and earth, blessing hundreds of officials, etc. These events not only demonstrated the majesty and power of the emperor, but also expressed blessings and prayers to the country and the people.
During the Song Dynasty, people regarded the winter solstice as a kind of "annual festival". During this festival, people do some traditional activities such as eating dumplings, eating glutinous rice balls, etc. These customs have continued into modern times and have become the traditional customs of the Chinese on the day of the winter solstice.
In general, the origin of the winter solstice can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in ancient China, and after the evolution and development of successive dynasties, it has gradually become an important festival. During this festival, people carry out some celebrations and traditional customs to express the summary of the past year and the expectations and blessings for the new year.