Chinanews.com, Beijing, December 12 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) "The time and personnel are urging each other, and the winter solstice is coming again." The winter solstice is the fourth solar term of winter, and it is also one of the "four seasons and eight festivals" that people often say, which has two major connotations: nature and humanity.
The traditional 24 solar terms contain the wisdom of the ancient Chinese to respect nature, conform to nature, and live in harmony with nature. How is the winter solstice determined? Why is it also called "Ya Sui"? Cheng Peng, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Literature of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told a reporter from Chinanews that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the ancient Chinese had determined the winter solstice. In ancient times, the winter solstice was very important, and there was a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as a year".
In terms of diet, in addition to glutinous rice balls, dumplings, etc., the delicacies of the winter solstice also include red bean porridge, which is the food of warding off epidemics and evil spirits in the hearts of the ancients, and red bean porridge is a seasonal food with a special function of fighting the epidemic.
Data map: The made rice balls are very colorful. Photo by Yang Bo
How is it measured?
According to ancient records, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the ancient Chinese had used Tugui to observe the sun and determine the winter solstice.
The most important ritual activity on the winter solstice is to worship the heavens and ancestors. Folk generally have the custom of sacrificing ancestors, such as the ancestor worship customs of the winter solstice recorded in some local documents.
How to maintain health on the winter solstice?
In terms of life, the winter solstice is an important season for health preservation. People can eat more foods that nourish the body, such as lotus seeds, seeds, barley, jujubes, white fungus, mutton, etc.
In terms of production, around the winter solstice is a good time to accumulate fertilizer and make fertilizer, and at the same time, it is necessary to do a good job of anti-freezing. In some areas in the south, the winter solstice is still an important time for winemaking, and many places also have the Xi of drinking winter wine on the winter solstice.
Why is the winter solstice also called "sub-year"?
The importance of the winter solstice is mainly reflected in its timing, which is believed to be a turning point in the "south solstice and back again", after which the sun rises in height and the days increase day by day in various parts of the northern hemisphere.
Data map: Winter solstice solar term, in the Summer Palace in Beijing, the sunset shines on the side walls of all the bridges and tunnels of the 17-hole bridge, forming a beautiful scenery of "golden light piercing holes". Photo by China News Service reporter Han Haidan
The ancients believed that the winter solstice was an auspicious day, a natural transformation of yin and yang, and a sign of the coming of the pole, which was worth celebrating. Therefore, the winter solstice is no less important than the New Year, so the winter solstice is also called "sub-year".
According to records, the Zhou people took winter and November as the first month, and winter and November 1 as the first year of the year. The first year of the Zhou people and the date of the winter solstice are the same as the November of the lunar calendar, so it is said that the Zhou people have sacrificed on the winter solstice (November) since the Zhou period.
How is the "number nine" date calculated?
The so-called "number nine" generally refers to counting from the winter solstice, nine days as a unit, every nine days counts as a "nine", and so on, until the "ninety-nine" eighty-one days, that is, "out of nine" or "over nine", at this time the cold has been exhausted, and the winter cold will become spring warm.
The folk Xi of "counting nine" is mainly related to the "number nine" ballad and the nine-nine cold map.
Data map: The picture shows the Wufu dumpling banquet to welcome the winter solstice. Photo by Han Zhangyun
What is the meaning of eating dumplings and glutinous rice balls?
The winter solstice is rich in food Xi, not limited to dumplings and rice balls.
The Xi of eating dumplings and wontons on the winter solstice in the north is more common. Eating dumplings on the winter solstice, one of the legends is to commemorate the grace of the "medical saint" Zhang Zhongjing's "dispelling cold and delicate ear soup", which means "dispel the cold", and the folk proverb of "not serving the dumpling bowl on the winter solstice, and no one cares about the ears frozen" has been passed down to this day.
On the winter solstice day when yang energy is born, people eat wontons, in the form of simulated witchcraft, to break the chaotic state wrapped in yin and yang, and support the growth of yang energy.
In many places in the south of the Yangtze River, it is popular to eat rice balls on the winter solstice. "Round" means "reunion" and "consummation", and eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice round". People use it to sacrifice to their ancestors in the early morning of the winter solstice, and then reunite with the family to eat, which is called "Tian Sui".
There is a folk saying that "one year older after eating rice balls". In some places, the balls eaten at the winter solstice also have unique characteristics, such as steamed dough or wine-stuffed balls made with wine; Or there will be a difference in the filling.
What is the importance of the custom of "praying for longevity"?
In ancient times, the winter solstice was used as the New Year, and the folk "He Dong" is essentially "He Nian", and many Xi customs in the folk winter solstice festival are the inheritance of ancient customs.
According to legend, people should give each other holiday gifts during the winter solstice festival, and keep the winter on the night before the winter solstice, such as the New Year's Festival, so the eve of the winter solstice is called "winter except" or "new night".
The winter solstice has a long time to pray for longevity and longevity of the folk customs, women will give the elders of the family to dedicate new shoes and socks, in ancient times called "the long solstice", this Xi custom is not only to help the elderly through the winter, but also important folk etiquette significance, through such a dedication ceremony, I wish the elders at the beginning of the new year, with new steps to keep pace with the times, health and longevity.
Data map: People eat mutton soup on the winter solstice. Photo by Zhang Lang
What were the "artifacts of the ancients"?
After the winter solstice, the weather is colder. The ancients also had "cold artifacts", such as hand stoves, foot stoves, smokers, etc.
Among them, the commonly used heating appliance in ordinary families is "soup pot", similar to a hot water bottle, generally made of tin, copper and other materials made of ellipsoidal or pumpkin-shaped bottles, poured into hot water, put in the quilt before going to bed, and it will be very warm to sleep at night.
It is said that "Tang Pozi" existed in the Song Dynasty, also known as "Mrs. Xi", "Tang Yuan", "Foot Po", and it will be used as a gift object when married, and even some Tang Pozi will be passed on to several generations.
How to inherit the cultural connotation?
One of the important functions of the festival is to regulate and serve people's lives. Nowadays, some of the cultural connotations of traditional festivals, such as the part that connects the interpersonal relations of the family and the community, are still of great significance to contemporary life.
In the case of the winter solstice, although the significance of marking the time has weakened after the change of the calendar, the winter solstice is still an important time node for production and life such as winemaking and curing bacon.
When inheriting traditional festivals, it is necessary to take into account its adaptation and fit with contemporary society, and excavate some folk customs with life interest in them, and develop and utilize them as cultural resources.
For example, the winter solstice ninety-nine cold map can not only be used as an important resource for cultural and creative development, but also has great significance for inheriting the traditional solar term culture and enriching the current festival culture. (ENDS)