What does the solstice mean in winter? Folk activities in winter solstice.

Winter solstice is an important solar term in the China lunar calendar, and it is also a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. What do you know about the winter solstice? The following is what I have sorted out about the meaning of winter solstice. I hope you like it!

The origin of winter solstice

Winter solstice is the earliest of the 24 solar terms, but most people don't know that the origin of winter solstice actually comes from the planning of a national capital. As early as more than 3,000 years ago, Duke Zhou began to measure the shadow with the earth gauge method and measure the position of the world in Luoyi. This was a move of political significance at that time, but it became one of the festivals that affected future generations for thousands of years.

When the Duke of Zhou arrived in Luoyang, he measured that Luoyang was "in the world" by the method of returning to the soil, and then began to divine the country and the land. It is recorded in Shangshu Luogu that the Duke of Zhou "looked forward to Luoshi" and made an investigation in several places around Luoyang, and finally determined that Jianshui East, Zhuoshui West and Zhuoshui East are all good places to build ancestral temples. The historical fact that the Duke of Zhou chose the base site of Luoyi through the "investigation of returning to the land" was recorded in ancient books and was regarded as the law of sealing the country by later generations.

The purpose of Tugui Landscape Survey is to find out the center of China "in the soil". The essence of this method is that "the tree is eight feet high and the summer solstice is five inches long;" On the solstice of winter, the scene is one foot, three feet and five inches long, that is, an 8-foot-high pole is erected. In summer to sun, the shadow at noon is 65,438+0.5 feet, and in winter to sun, the shadow at noon is 65,438+03.5 feet. "Measure the depth of the soil, correct the shadows, find the ground and check for four hours." What is measured by this method is the theoretical position of Luoyang and Luoyi in the soil.

According to the investigation of Duke Zhou, Zhou people made a detailed plan for the first national capital after the demise of Shang Dynasty. "Yizhou Zuoluo Book" said: "It is a great city, growing in the soil for a week, ... in Luoshui in the south and Mangshan in the north, and the world is in harmony." . After the national social capital and the ancestral temple were built, Duke Zhou formulated the national etiquette system in detail in the Rites and Music System of Chengzhou Tang Ming. According to records, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is winter and November, and the first year of the New Year is the winter solstice. In other words, Duke Zhou chose the longest day of the year as the day when the New Year began.

From meditation to Qin dynasty, winter is always the same as the beginning of the year. This is still the case in the Han Dynasty. There is a saying in Hanshu: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, so congratulations ..." In other words, people originally celebrated the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The ancients believed that from the winter solstice, the yang of heaven and earth began to flourish and become stronger, representing the beginning of the next cycle. This is a good day. Therefore, later, during the Spring Festival, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners often appeared on the winter solstice. The winter solstice is also called "off-year". First, it shows that the year is approaching and there are not many days left. The second is to show the importance of the winter solstice. As a festival, the winter solstice originated in the Zhou Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been passed down to this day. The first month of the week calendar is November of the summer calendar. Therefore, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to today's November, so there is no difference between New Year greetings and He Dong. It was not until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar that the first month was separated from the solstice in winter. Therefore, it can also be said that the "Winter Solstice Festival" began in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has existed ever since.

Climatic characteristics of winter solstice

Astronomy regards the winter solstice as the beginning of winter, which is obviously late for most parts of China. There is a cloud in the poem: "The northwest wind hits a hundred herbs and declines, and the cold rises several times a day. The daytime is the shortest, but I see Jin Mei blooming. " The winter solstice in Heshui Zuo is the shortest day in a year. After the winter solstice, the direct point of the sun gradually moves northward, and the days in the northern hemisphere gradually lengthen and the nights gradually shorten. Therefore, there is a saying that "eating the winter solstice makes the day longer."

Climatically, during the winter solstice, the average temperature in the northwest plateau is generally below 0℃, and the southern region is only about 6℃ to 8℃. In addition, the winter solstice begins to count to nine, and the winter solstice becomes the first day to count to nine. Regarding "Counting Nine", there is a folk song that goes like this: "Don't do it in September, walk on the ice in March and April, watch the willows along the river in May and June, open the river in July and September, swallow comes, and walk around cattle in September and September." However, in the southwest low-altitude valley area, even in the coldest local165438+ in early October, the average temperature is still above 10℃. It can be said that autumn goes and spring comes, and there is no winter all year round.

The ancients in China divided the winter solstice into three stages: "One stage is earthworm knot; Second, wait for the elk horn to solve; Waiting for the spring to gush out. " Legend has it that earthworms are creatures with yin bending and yang stretching. At this time, although the yang has increased, the yin is still very strong, and the earthworms in the soil are still curled up. Elk and deer belong to the same family, but yin and yang are different. The ancients thought that the elk's horns were facing the afterlife, so they were cloudy, and the winter solstice was born in the sun. The elk felt that the yin gradually receded and solved their horns. Because of the birth of yang, the spring water in the mountain can flow and be warm at this time.

Folk activities in winter solstice

The winter solstice festival is also called the winter festival and the winter festival. It is not only one of the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional festival in China. There is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as a year", which has always been valued by the court and the people. Since the Zhou Dynasty, there have been sacrificial activities.

Zhou Li Chun Guan Shen Shi: "With the coming of winter, we are in front of ghosts and gods." The purpose is to pray and eliminate the epidemic in the country and reduce the famine and death of the people. "Historical Records of Xiaowu": "Later, I was two years old, and Jiazi was on the winter solstice in November, so the calendar was based on this system. Tianzi climbed Mount Tai, and in November Jiazi Shuodan Winter Solstice Temple was called Shentang, and it was closed every time. "

"Etiquette in the Later Han Dynasty": "Around the winter solstice, gentlemen live in peace, and officials do nothing." We also have to choose "capable people", beat gongs and drums, and play the "Yellow Bell Method" to celebrate.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the solstice of winter and the beginning of a year were both important. Meng Yuanlao's Dream of China in Tokyo in the Southern Song Dynasty: "November Winter Solstice. The capital attaches great importance to this festival. Although it is in the hands of the poor, it is easier to get new clothes, prepare meals and enjoy the ancestors in a year. Officials let go and celebrate exchanges, just like the Chinese New Year. "

Customs of winter solstice in Chaoshan

Winter solstice is one of the 24 solar terms. According to the "Twenty-four Solar Terms",1/month15th, the finally hidden gas came to an end. "Tongwei's filial piety helps the gods" contains: "After the heavy snow on the fifteenth day of the first month, the fingers beat each other, which is the solstice of winter and the fifteenth day of the first month. Yin and Yang began, and the sky went south and grew up. " According to Ci Hai: "Astronomically speaking, the solstice of winter is the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere." The solstice in winter is not only one of the 24 solar terms, but also a major folk festival in Chaoshan area, commonly known as "off-year".

The customs of Chaoshan cities and counties from winter solstice are basically the same, such as ancestor worship, eating incense pills and sweeping graves.

Sacrifice to ancestors: On this day, Chaoshan people prepare three kinds of sacrifices and fruits, such as pork, chicken and fish, and go to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors. Then the family eats a meal around the table, usually before noon, and the family gets together at lunch. But in coastal areas, such as the seamounts in Raoping, ancestors sacrificed in the early morning before fishermen went out to sea to fish, which means asking gods and ancestors to bless fishermen's fishing safety.

Eating sweet pills: This custom is almost common in Chaoshan area, but it also contains an interesting custom: after people worship their ancestors on this day, they will take out some sweet pills and stick them on their doorposts, beams and rice jars. Why are you doing this? According to legend, there are two reasons: first, sweet pills are sweet and round, which means beauty. It heralds another bumper harvest and family reunion next year. If a family can meet by chance on this day, just like the "water splashing festival" of ethnic minorities, it is a good sign. If an outsider happens to visit on this day and let an outsider meet him, these outsiders will also have good luck. Therefore, people do not want outsiders to visit on this day. One is for mice. According to legend, the seeds of grain were bitten by rats from far away for farmers to plant. In order to repay the contribution of mice, farmers agreed to leave a small part uncut when harvesting every year for mice to eat. Later, because a greedy man harvested all the grains in the field, the mouse complained to Guanyin Bodhisattva in a rage. Guanyin Bodhisattva felt very sorry for her, so she gave her a pair of hard teeth and told her to move into someone else's house to find food in the future. Since then, rats have been doing evil everywhere. Become one of the "four evils" today. However, this custom of "sticking fragrant pills everywhere" will not last long after all. Not only unsanitary, but also unsightly and wasteful, it naturally dies out. And this custom of "eating sweet nine" has been passed down to this day.

Going to the cemetery: This is another activity from the winter solstice. According to the Chaoshan custom, the annual grave sweeping is generally in Qingming and the solstice of winter, which is called "spring paper" and "winter paper". Generally speaking, the custom of "handing out spring paper" should be carried out three years before death, and "winter paper" can only be carried out three years later. But most people like to bring "winter paper", because it often rains during the Qingming period and the road is difficult to walk; On the solstice of winter, the weather is fine, which is very suitable for picnicking in the mountains.

There is also a saying in Chaoshan that "you are one year older after eating the Winter Festival". According to the report, "people have two explanations for this: one is that the winter solstice is a small year, and one year will be added after the small year; This proverb comes from prisoners. In ancient times, every autumn was the season of killing people. Prisoners who commit capital crimes are usually executed in autumn. If they are not executed on the winter solstice, they will usually be postponed until next year, so they say "wait another year".

Chaoshan custom is a part of Chaoshan culture. In the long-term life and social practice, people inherit good customs and abandon bad ones. The custom of "going to the grave to sweep the grave" from the winter solstice is to commemorate the hard work of ancestors, and "eating sweet pills" is to herald another bumper harvest in the coming year, which is naturally inherited. Folk activities in winter solstice