What day is the Winter Solstice?

The Winter Solstice is the first one of the 24 solar terms to be worked out. As early as 2500 years ago in the Spring and Autumn period, China used Tugui to observe the sun and determined the Winter Solstice, which is between December 21 and 22 of the Gregorian calendar each year. Commonly known as Winter Festival, Changzhi Festival, Asian year, etc., let's take a look at how many days the Winter Solstice is!

What day is the Winter Solstice?

The Winter Solstice in 2016 is December 21, 2016, and November 23 in the year of the Monkey in the lunar calendar. It is appropriate to make an alliance, accept mining, carbuilders, sacrifices, pray for blessings, and avoid breaking the earth, burial, mourning, and opening graves.

Climatic characteristics of the Winter Solstice

Astronomically, the Winter Solstice is regarded as the beginning of winter, which is obviously too late for most parts of our country. The poem says, "the northwest wind hits all the grass, and several times of cold come into being." The day is the shortest, but I see Jinmei in full bloom. " (Zuohe River) the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. After the Winter Solstice, the direct point of the sun gradually moved northward, and the days in the northern hemisphere gradually became longer and the nights became shorter. Therefore, as the saying goes, "if you eat winter solstice noodles, you will grow one line a day."

In terms of climate, during the period of the Winter Solstice, the average temperature in the Northwest Plateau was generally below 0 ℃, while that in the south was only about 6 ℃ to 8 ℃. In addition, the Winter Solstice began to count nine, and the winter solstice became the first day of counting nine. With regard to "counting nine", the folk ballad goes like this, "do not do anything in 19,29th, walk on the ice in 39th and 49th, look at the willow along the river in 59 and 69, open in the river in 1979, Yan comes in 1989, and farm cattle in 99 plus 19 everywhere." However, in the low-altitude river valleys of the southwest, even in the coldest early January, the average temperature is still above 10 ℃. It can be said that autumn goes to spring and there is no winter all year round.

The Chinese ancients divided the Winter Solstice into three phases: earthworm knot, Milu horn solution and water spring movement. It is said that earthworms are creatures of Yin qu and Yang extension. Although Yang Qi has grown at this time, Yin Qi is still very strong. Earthworms in the soil are still curled up. Yinghu is of the same family as deer, but Yin and Yang are different. The ancients thought that the horns of the worms were born backward, so they were yin. The Winter Solstice was born with a yang, and the elk's sense of yin gradually receded. Because the yang was born, the spring water in the mountains could flow and warm at this time.

The Historical Origin of the Winter Solstice

According to records, the Zhou and Qin dynasties took winter and November as the first month and the Winter Solstice as the beginning of the year to celebrate the New year. There is a saying in Hanshu: "the Winter Solstice is full of yang, and the monarch's way is long, so he congratulates." In other words, people began to celebrate the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival of the new year. The ancients believed that since the Winter Solstice, heaven and earth yang began to become stronger and stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle, the day of good luck. Therefore, the general customs such as ancestor worship and family dinner during the Spring Festival are often chosen in the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice is also known as "Xiao Nian". First, it shows that the end of the New year is approaching, and there are not many days left. Second, it shows the importance of the Winter Solstice.

The Winter Solstice as a festival originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties. The first month of the week calendar is the November of the summer calendar, so the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to the November of the current Gregorian calendar, so there is no difference between New year's greetings and he Dong. Until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar, he separated the first month from the Winter Solstice. It can also be said that the simple celebration of the "Winter Solstice Festival" has only existed since the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and has been around since.

In the Han Dynasty, the Winter Solstice was regarded as the "winter festival", and the government held a celebration ceremony called "he Dong". The official routine was a holiday, and the custom of "winter worship" was popular in officialdom. It is recorded in the Book of the later Han Dynasty: "before and after the Winter Solstice, the gentleman settled down and did nothing, did not listen to the government, chose auspicious Chen and then saved trouble." Therefore, on this day, the court will have a holiday, the army will be on standby, the border fortress will be closed, business travel will be closed, relatives and friends will give each other delicious food, visit each other, and happily enjoy a "peace and quiet" festival. During the Wei, Jin and six dynasties, the Winter Solstice was called "Asia". People had to pay homage to their parents and elders. After the Song Dynasty, the Winter Solstice gradually became a festival activity for offering sacrifices to ancestors and gods.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the Winter Solstice was the day of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors. On this day, the emperor went to the suburbs to hold a ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven. On this day, the people had to worship their parents. In both the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors offered sacrifices to heaven, known as "the Winter Solstice suburban heaven". In the palace, there was a ceremony for a hundred officials to present a congratulatory form to the emperor, and they also stabbed and congratulated each other, just like New Year's Day.