What are the customs and practices during the Winter Solstice? Be sure to pay attention to these taboos!
The winter solstice comes quietly from December 21st to 23rd of the Gregorian calendar every year. It is one of the eight festivals of the year. In ancient my country, people had the custom of worshiping gods and ancestors during the winter solstice. The ancients called the winter solstice "sub-year" or "small year", which shows the importance of the winter solstice in my country's traditional festivals. So, what are the customs and practices during the Winter Solstice? Be sure to pay attention to these taboos! "The Book of Rites: Monthly Ordinances" says: "The month of mid-winter is called Changyue." "Chang means full." Therefore, the eleventh month of the lunar calendar is also called Changyue. In this November of the lunar calendar 2020, Mr. Shui Mo will spend a happy month with you.Origin of Winter SolsticeOrigin 1: The winter solstice has arrived. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was called the "Winter Festival". The government held a celebration ceremony called "Hedong". The government had routine holidays, and the custom of "Baidingdong" for mutual congratulations was popular in the officialdom. The Book of the Later Han records: "Around the winter solstice, gentlemen rest and quiet their bodies, officials stop working, do not attend to government affairs, and choose auspicious days to do their work."Origin 2: In old Beijing, there is a saying that goes “eat wontons at the winter solstice and noodles at the summer solstice”. According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Huns in the north often harassed the border and the people lived in unrest. At that time, there were two leaders in the Xiongnu tribe, Hun and Tun, who were extremely cruel. The people hated him so much that they wrapped meat filling into triangles and called them "wontons" by combining the sounds of "hun" and "tun" in Chinese. I hate to eat it, and I pray that the war will be quelled so that we can live in peace. Since wontons were first made on the day of the winter solstice, every household eats wontons on this day. Winter Solstice Customs1. Some coastal areas in the south have continued the custom of ancestor worship. People place the portraits and rankings of their ancestors in the upper hall of their homes, set up the offering table, and arrange incense burners and offerings to worship devoutly to show respect for their ancestors. Some areas also offer sacrifices to gods such as the gods of heaven or the land, in order to pray for good weather, harmony and prosperity in the coming year.2. Guangdong people have the custom of adding dishes to the winter solstice meat. They like to eat roast meat and ginger rice on this day. In Chaoshan area, there is a folk proverb that "Eating winter festival balls means the New Year has come", commonly known as "adding years". In the Hakka people's concept, the water tastes the best during the winter solstice, so brewing wine during the winter solstice has become a Hakka custom. 3. Hangzhou people are accustomed to eating rice cakes during the winter solstice. This custom has been passed down from the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty to the present. Every year during the winter solstice, people make rice cakes with different flavors according to the three meals. Eating rice cakes during the winter solstice is a good omen for growing taller every year. 4. Sichuan people choose to eat mutton soup during the winter solstice. Mutton is warm and nourishing, making it the first choice for nourishing the body in winter. People in Hunan and Hubei must eat a bowl of steaming red bean glutinous rice on the day of the winter solstice to feel complete. 5. The custom of eating glutinous rice balls during the winter solstice is very popular in the Jiangnan area. After the dumplings are made, people first offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors, and then the whole family sits together and shares the dumplings, which symbolizes "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls during the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice dumplings". There is also a saying among the people that "eating glutinous rice balls will make you one year older." 6. In most parts of northern my country, there is a custom of eating dumplings during the winter solstice. According to legend, when the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing retired and returned to his hometown, he saw many people suffering from frostbite along the way. He used mutton and cold-relieving herbs as stuffing, rolled the dough into a thin and even shape, wrapped it into the shape of ears, and made a medicinal meal called "Quhan Jiao'er Soup" and gave it to the poor people. Later, every winter solstice, people would imitate the medical sage’s behavior and eat dumplings. Thus, the folk song “If you don’t eat dumplings on the winter solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care” was passed down. Winter Solstice TaboosAvoid weddings, moving, opening of business and other happy events:Logically, these events are all joyous and grand celebrations, but the Winter Solstice itself is a festival for ancestor worship, which is a bit sad and heavy. Therefore, holding a wedding at this time is somewhat inappropriate and seems disrespectful to the ancestors. Avoid visiting the sick: Many people think that the Winter Solstice is a good time for them to visit their sick relatives and friends to express their regards and care. Friends who have this plan are advised to give up the idea. Because the winter solstice is the day for worshiping ancestors, visiting a patient on this day when people visit the deceased will make others think you have bad intentions. Avoid visiting other people's homes: During the winter solstice, everyone is busy preparing to worship their ancestors, and they may also have to burn some paper money or something like that. If you go to someone's home as a guest at this time, the host will feel a little embarrassed, and he will have to divert his attention to entertain you, which will make people even more annoyed. Cold and warm: The winter solstice to the Great Cold is the coldest time of the year. During this period, people with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and hypertension tend to have their conditions aggravated, and the number of strokes increases. Please take measures to keep warm in advance, choose soft and loose clothing with good thermal insulation performance, and do not wear it too tight to facilitate blood circulation. Winter Solstice 2020The winter solstice in 2020 is on December 21, 2020, at 18:02:12. Lunar calendar: November 7th |
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