The winter solstice is the 22nd of the 24 solar terms in China and was regarded as an important festival by the ancients. It has many different names, such as Ya Sui, Winter Festival, Long Solstice Festival, etc.
The method of determining the winter solstice, according to ancient records, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the ancient Chinese used the method of Tugui to observe the sun to determine the time of the winter solstice.
One of the most important ceremonial activities on the day of the winter solstice is to worship the heavens and ancestors. There is a common custom of worshipping ancestors, for example, some local documents record the ancestor worship ceremony of the winter solstice.
Why is the winter solstice called "sub-year"?This is mainly reflected in the importance of the winter solstice as a time node. It is thought to be the turning point of the Sun's southward movement to the southerly point and then its return to the north, after which the Sun has risen in altitude and the days have gradually lengthened throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
The ancients believed that the winter solstice was an auspicious day, which marked the natural alternation of yin and yang, and foreshadowed the transformation of misfortune into happiness. Therefore, the winter solstice is given the same importance as the New Year, so it is also called "sub-year".
It is also recorded that the Zhou people took November as the first month of winter, and November 1 was the first year of the new year. The year of the Zhou people is calculated from the winter solstice, which coincides with the date of the winter solstice in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, so it is said that there have been winter solstice sacrifices since the Zhou Dynasty.
In addition, regarding the calculation of the date of "number nine", on the day of the winter solstice, the position of the sun directly on the ground is located at the southernmost point of the year, and it illuminates the Tropic of Capricorn almost vertically. The Northern Hemisphere receives the least amount of sunlight and the shortest daylight hours on this day, and the further north it goes, the shorter the daylight hours.
The so-called "number nine" refers to starting from the winter solstice, every nine days as a unit, each nine days is called a "nine", and so on, until "ninety-nine", that is, eighty-one days as a cycle. On the last day of "Jiujiu", that is, when "Ninety-nine" or "Out of Nine", the weather will gradually warm, and most parts of the country have entered spring, so it is also called "Ninety-nine Sunny Day".
Regarding the customs of the winter solstice, as a long-standing festival, there are naturally many interesting customs that exist. There is a saying that "when the winter solstice arrives, eat dumplings".
In northern China, the custom of eating dumplings during the winter solstice is very common;In the south, people usually eat tangyuan, although there are exceptions. For example, in Tengzhou and other places in Shandong, it is popular to taste mutton soup on the day of the winter solstice, which means to drive away the cold. In addition, in the Jiangnan water town area, people pay attention to the family reunion on the night of the winter solstice to taste red bean glutinous rice.
According to legend, it is said that one of the sons of the Gonggong clan did many evils and died on the day of the winter solstice, and after his death, he became a plague ghost and harmed the people. However, plague ghosts are particularly afraid of red beans, so people will cook red bean rice on the day of the winter solstice, hoping to prevent the occurrence of epidemics and diseases.
Interestingly, there is also a custom of "winter winemaking" in Suzhou. Winter sake brewing is a type of rice wine made with the addition of osmanthus flowers. On the night of the winter solstice, the people drink delicious winter liquor and taste various braised vegetables such as braised beef, and the whole family is full of laughter.
Winter is a time of hibernation, when the north wind howls and the earth freezes. Folklore expert Xiao Fang mentioned in the book "The Twenty-four Solar Terms and Folklore" that the winter solstice is an important seasonal node, and people hold a series of seasonal rituals around this day.
Why do we eat dumplings on the day of the winter solstice?It is said that this custom is to commemorate the legendary event left by Zhang Zhongjing, the "medical saint". Zhang Zhongjing, a native of Nieyang, Nanyang, China, is the author of the book "Treatise on Typhoid Fever and Miscellaneous Diseases" and is known as a giant in the medical field. The soup he invented was regarded as a classic by generations of doctors.
Zhang Zhongjing once said: "If you enter, you will save the world, and if you retreat, you will save the people."It cannot be a good look, but it should also be a good doctor. "During the Eastern Han Dynasty, he served as the Taishou of Changsha, where he carried out medical work.
Later, he resolutely resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown to provide medical services to his fellow villagers. It was when he returned home that it was winter. At that time, he saw that the villagers on both sides of the White River were yellow-skinned, hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frostbitten.
Therefore, he ordered his ** to set up a medical shed in Dongguan in Nanyang and set up a cauldron. On the day of the winter solstice, he used this pot to boil mutton and herbs to ward off the cold, then took out the mutton and herbs and chopped them, made them into the shape of ears with dough, and finally steamed them. Each person was given two "delicate ears" and a large bowl of broth. People eat "Jiao'er" and drink "cold soup", the whole body feels warm, both ears will be hot, and the ears that have been frostbitten have also been **.
Later, people imitated the way the food was wrapped in "Jiao'er" and called it "dumplings" or "flat food". It turns out that the custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice is to commemorate the story of the "medical saint" Zhang Zhongjing who created the "cold and delicate ear soup".
To this day, there is still a common proverb in the Nanyang area of China: "If you don't serve a dumpling bowl on the winter solstice, no one cares if you freeze your ears." Whether it's winter celebrations, customs, or food, it shows people's love and remembrance of the special holiday of the winter solstice. Each event has a rich cultural connotation behind it, allowing us to feel the power of tradition and the joy of bringing people together in the celebration.