What are the origins and customs of the Winter Solstice solar term?

1. The origin of the winter solstice:

The winter solstice is one of the "twenty-four solar terms". During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the twenty-four solar terms were absorbed into the "Taichu Calendar" as a supplement to the calendar to guide farming, and the "Ping Qi Method" (i.e., the average time method) was used to divide the solar terms.

The "Ping Qi Method" uses photometry to determine the day short solstice in the Yellow River Basin as the winter solstice, and divides the date between the winter solstice and the next winter solstice into twelve equal parts, called "Zhong Qi". Then the dates between adjacent "Zhong Qi" are divided into equal parts, which are called "solar terms"; on average, there is one "Zhong Qi" and one "solar term" every month, collectively called the "twenty-four solar terms".

2. Winter Solstice customs:

1. Eating dumplings and wontons in the north

In northern China, there is a custom of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice. On this day every year, whether rich or poor, dumplings are an essential holiday meal. According to legend, this custom is to remember the kindness of Zhang Zhongjing, the "Medical Saint", with his "Quhan Jiao Er Decoction".

The significance of wontons during the Winter Solstice is mainly for sacrifice, and secondly for consumption. Some ancient people believed that eating wontons during the Winter Solstice was to break up the yin and release yang, and support the growth of yang energy between heaven and earth.

2. Eating glutinous rice balls in the South

Eating glutinous rice balls during the winter solstice is a traditional custom in my country. It is especially popular in Jiangnan. There is a saying among the people that "eating glutinous rice balls makes you one year older". Tangyuan can be used to worship ancestors, and can also be used to give to relatives and friends, and also represents the meaning of reunion.

Climate Characteristics

The arrival of the winter solstice marks the coming of cold winter. Although the northern hemisphere receives the least solar radiation on this day, about 50% less than the southern hemisphere, this is not the coldest time. The so-called "cold in the 39th and 49th". This is because there is atmosphere and water on the earth's surface, which can store heat. It is not "instant and lost", but "accumulated heat".

Thus, the weather is usually not very cold before the winter solstice. After the winter solstice, although the sun's altitude angle gradually increases, this is a slow recovery process. The heat lost every day is still greater than the heat received, showing a situation of "making ends meet".

In the "March 9th and 49th days", the heat accumulation is the least, the temperature is the lowest, and the weather becomes colder and colder. If there is cold air at this time, the weather will be even colder. After this "cold front" passes, the weather will gradually warm up.

Reference for the above content? Baidu Encyclopedia-Winter Solstice