When is the winter solstice in 2020?

December 21

The winter solstice, also known as the day solstice, winter festival, sub-year, etc., has both natural and humanistic connotations and is an important part of the twenty-four solar terms. It is also a traditional Chinese folk festival. The winter solstice is one of the four seasons and eight festivals, and is regarded as a major festival in winter. In ancient times, there was a saying among the people that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year." Winter Solstice customs vary in content or details depending on the region. In southern China, there is a custom of worshiping ancestors and feasting during the Winter Solstice. In northern China, there is a custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice every year.

The winter solstice is the 22nd solar term of the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms". The sun's yellow longitude reaches 270°, and it is celebrated every year on December 21-23 of the Gregorian calendar. The winter solstice is the peak of the sun's southward journey, and on this day the sun is at its smallest height in the northern hemisphere. On the winter solstice, the sun's rays shine directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, and the sun's rays are most tilted toward the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice is the turning point of the sun's southward journey. After this day, it will "turn back." The direct point of the sun will begin to move northward from the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26'S), and the days in the northern hemisphere (our country is located in the northern hemisphere) will grow longer day by day.

The winter solstice is the day with the shortest daytime and the longest night in all parts of the northern hemisphere, and the days get shorter as you go north. Although the days on the winter solstice are short, the temperature on the winter solstice is not the lowest. It will not be very cold before the winter solstice, because there is still "accumulated heat" on the surface, and the real cold winter will be after the winter solstice. Since the climate in different parts of our country is very different, this astronomical significance The climate characteristics above are obviously too late for most areas in our country.

The winter solstice marks the beginning of the cold season, and people start counting nine to calculate the cold weather (folk proverb: "The summer solstice is three Geng, and the winter solstice is Ren, count nine).