What are the customs of the winter solstice? The customs vary from place to place.

What customs are there during the Winter Solstice? Winter Solstice, the 22nd solar term among the 24 solar terms, is also an important festival in my country. Next, let’s take a look at the customs and activities related to the Winter Solstice Festival.

What are the customs during the winter solstice?

Celebration Ceremony

"Qing Jia Lu" records: "Winter Solstice is as important as New Year's Day", which means that the Winter Solstice was as important as New Year's Day to the ancients and was taken very seriously. Because the ancients believed that the winter solstice was the natural transformation of yin and yang and a blessing bestowed by God, they would hold celebration ceremonies on the winter solstice.

Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony

During the Tang and Song dynasties, people would hold activities to worship heaven and offer sacrifices on the winter solstice. The government will take a holiday and hold related ceremonies called "Hedong". The emperor would also go to the suburbs to hold a ceremony to worship the heavens on this day, praying for good weather and good harvests in the coming year.

Ancestor worship

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, people attached greater importance to the Winter Solstice, and there was a folk custom of sweeping ancestral tombs on the Winter Solstice. On the day of the winter solstice, men, women, young and old, all go to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors and wish the elderly for longevity.

Eat dumplings

As the saying goes, "Dumplings on the Winter Solstice and noodles on the Summer Solstice", every household in the northern region eats dumplings. Moreover, the origin of eating dumplings during the winter solstice is to remember the kindness of the "Medical Saint" Zhang Zhongjing's "Quhan Jiao'er Soup". Therefore, there is still a folk song now that goes, "If you don't eat dumplings during the Winter Solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care."

Eat sticky rice

In the southern region, there is a custom of the family gathering together to eat red bean glutinous rice on the night of the winter solstice. According to legend, Gonggong had an incompetent son who committed many evil deeds. He died on the day of the winter solstice. After his death, he turned into a plague ghost and continued to harm the people. However, this plague ghost is most afraid of red beans. Therefore, people cook and eat red bean rice on the day of the winter solstice to drive away the plague ghost and prevent disasters and diseases.

Drinking winter wine

In Suzhou area, there is a custom of drinking winter wine on the night of the winter solstice. Dongniang wine is a kind of rice wine brewed with sweet osmanthus, which has a pleasant aroma. The wine brewed in winter was originally called Dongyang Wine, because the yang energy rises after the winter solstice. In addition, people drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice, and also eat a variety of braised dishes such as braised beef and braised mutton.