In China, "Sanjiu", also known as "Jiujiu", is a traditional folk festival. From the day of the winter solstice every year, there are nine days as a section, a total of nine sections. In more detail, since the winter solstice, ninety-one is nineteen, and so on, from twenty-nine to thirty-nine, all the way to ninety-nine, a total of eighty-one days. In September every year, the temperature in northern China will gradually drop and the temperature will turn dry and cold.
"Number nine" is a method used by the Chinese to calculate temperature changes, which originated in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. At that time, mankind had realized that in the Arctic, the days are the shortest and the nights are the longest, and from this time on, the days begin to lengthen and the nights shorten. So, in this case, it is believed that the solstice is the beginning of the ninth day, from which the end of the bitter cold is calculated.
In traditional Chinese culture, "counting nine" has a special meaning. In the traditional concept, nine o'clock is the time when "yang flourishes and yin declines". Therefore, every year in the "number nine", there will be traditional folk customs such as "cooking laba porridge", "eating dumplings", and "pasting spring couplets" to drive away the cold and pray for auspiciousness and happiness in the coming year.
In addition, the number nine is also a traditional Chinese medicine health preservation method. In the view of traditional Chinese medicine, in the "nine" season, yang qi is the weakest, yin qi is the heaviest, at this time we should pay attention to keeping warm and paying attention to the maintenance of the body. It is recommended to eat more warm foods such as ginger, onions, and garlic to achieve the effect of warming the sun and dispelling cold; In addition, you can also do traditional exercises such as Tai Chi and Baduanjin to improve the body's immune function.
What time does the number nine start? According to Chinese custom, the head of the 19th day is after the winter solstice of each year. The arrival time is usually December 21 or 22, so the "number nine" is December 22.
In particular, 19 is from December 22 to December 30; 29 refers to the period from December 31 to January 8; 39 is January 9 to January 17; Forty-nine is from January 18 to February 6; February 7 to February 15 is 59; 69 refers to the period from February 16 to February 24; Seventy-nine refers to February 25 to March 4; ** March 5 to March 13; Ninety-nine is from March 14th to March 21st.
Nowadays, it is still common to use the "number nine" to calculate the lower temperatures. In addition to northern China, the number nine is also popular in other parts of China and several neighboring countries. Although the current meteorological methods are becoming more and more accurate and scientific, an ancient cultural custom represented by "number nine" has been circulating among the people.