1 The winter solstice is the 22nd solar term among the 24 solar terms in China, when the sun reaches 270. The Transcript of Compliance with the Constitution records: "When the cathode arrives, the yang begins to grow, the sun goes south, the day is short, and the shadow is long, so it is called the winter solstice." On the winter solstice, the sun shines directly on the tropic of Capricorn, with the shortest days and the longest nights in the northern hemisphere. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period more than 2,500 years ago, China had observed the sun with Tugui and determined the winter solstice, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms, and the time was from the Gregorian calendar1February 2 1 day to the 23rd every year.

2. One of the winter solstice legends: from the ancient emperors-Huangdi and Yaodi. There are two sayings that the Winter Solstice Festival originated from Huangdi and Yaodi. In Historical Records of Xiaowu, it is recorded that a minister said to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, "The Yellow Emperor won the Baoding God _(ce or jia), which is the year-old who won the winter solstice and won the discipline of heaven, and it will start all over again. So the Yellow Emperor welcomed the sun and pushed _, and then he was twenty years old and won the winter solstice. " This record shows that the Yellow Emperor took the winter solstice as the beginning of the year and took the "Shuodan", but there is no such record in Historical Records of the Yellow Emperor Stupid Chicken, so it is difficult to test the isolated evidence. Another way of saying this is that Emperor Yao once ordered Uncle He to live in the north, observe the movement of the sun, and then determine the time of the winter solstice. "Yu Shu, Yao Dian of Shangshu" once said: "(Yao Di) declared that he and his uncle would live in the northern part of the country, calling him a secluded capital. Ping is in Shuo Yi. The days are short, the stars are long, and it is mid-winter. " (Press: New Moon, North also. ) Shangshu was written closer to the time of Yaodi, and the credibility of the document is relatively high, and the historical materials contained in it may be closer to historical facts. It can be seen that the winter solstice, as a festival, has been paid attention to by people in ancient China.

3. Legend of the Winter Solstice II: The custom of southerners eating red bean glutinous rice is related to epidemic ghosts. In most people's impression, eating glutinous rice balls in the southern winter solstice is related to the original name of glutinous rice balls, and glutinous rice balls have the meaning of reunion, indicating the meaning of reunion after the winter solstice, that is, the Spring Festival. Now, people often use the second explanation, that is, the meaning of reunion. However, less and less people know about the custom of eating red bean glutinous rice on the winter solstice. In fact, this custom originated from a folk custom, that is, according to legend, there was a man named * * * Gong's family. He had an incompetent son who died on the winter solstice and became an epidemic ghost after his death, continuing to harm the people. But this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice on the winter solstice to avoid epidemic ghosts, get rid of diseases and prevent disasters. In ancient times, in fact, people wrapped all kinds of vegetables with glutinous rice on the winter solstice, and meat was used as a filling, which was both a sacrifice to ancestors and a gift to relatives and friends.