Traditional cultural significance of winter solstice. As a festival, the winter solstice has a history of more than 2,500 years. According to records, in the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, winter and November were the first month, and the winter solstice was the beginning of the New Year. Let's take a look at the traditional cultural significance of the winter solstice.
The traditional cultural significance of the winter solstice 1 the origin of the winter solstice;
The winter solstice is the earliest one in 24 solar terms, but most people don't know that the origin of the winter solstice actually comes from a national capital planning. As early as more than 3,000 years ago, Duke Zhou began to use Tugui method to measure the shadow, and measured the position of the world in Luoyi, which 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 Duke Zhou went to Luoyang, he measured that Luoyang was "in the world" by Tugui method, and then began to divine the auspicious place of the state. 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 were all "only Luoshi" (all good places to build a ancestral temple state). The historical fact that the Duke of Zhou selected the base site of Luoyi through the "Tugui survey" was recorded in ancient books and was regarded as the law of sealing the country and founding the country by later generations.
The purpose of "Topography in Tugui" is to find out "in the soil" (the center of China). The essence of this method is that "the tree is eight feet tall, and the summer solstice is five inches long;" On the winter solstice, the scenery is one foot, three feet and five inches long "(that is, a benchmark with a height of eight feet is erected. When observed on the summer solstice, the shadow at noon is 1.5 feet, and the shadow at noon on the winter solstice is 13.5 feet)," The depth of the soil is measured, the shadow is positive, and it is in the middle of the ground, and it is tested at four o'clock ". What is measured by this method is the theoretical position of Luoyang and Luoyi in the soil.
According to Zhou Gong's survey, the Zhou people made a detailed plan for the first national capital after the destruction of the Shang Dynasty. The Book of Yizhou Zuoluo said: "It is a great city that grows into a week in the soil, ... the south is in Luoshui, and the north is in Mangshan, which is a great combination of the world." . After the completion of the national society (capital, ancestral temple), the Duke of Zhou formulated the national etiquette system in detail in system of rites and music, Chengzhoumingtang. According to records, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty was winter and November, and the winter solstice was the beginning of the New Year. That is to say, the Duke of Zhou chose the longest day of the "sun shadow" measured by Tugui method as the new year.
From thoughtful to Qin, the winter solstice 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 is shining on the winter solstice, and the monarch is long, so congratulations ..." In other words, people originally celebrated the winter solstice festival to celebrate the arrival of the new year.
The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the sun be the spirit of heaven and earth began to flourish, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which is the day of good luck. Therefore, later, during the Spring Festival, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners often appeared in the winter solstice. The winter solstice is also known as the "small 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. The winter solstice as a festival originated in the Zhou Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since. The first month of the Zhou calendar is November in the summer calendar. Therefore, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to today's November, so there is no difference between worshipping New Year 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 winter solstice. Therefore, it can also be said that the "Winter Solstice Festival" has only existed since the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since.
The custom of the winter solstice:
The days are getting longer from the winter solstice. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, ladies-in-waiting have used one more thread every day after the winter solstice. This is what the folks say, "After eating the winter solstice meal, the line grows one day." Since the winter solstice, people often draw a plum blossom with 81 petals on it, which is called "Jiujiu Cold Relief Map". Every day, one petal is painted in red, and it will be "Jiujiu", so the winter solstice is also called "Counting Nine".
The winter solstice is the longest night in a year. Many people use this night to make a "winter solstice circle" with glutinous rice flour. In order to distinguish it from the "resignation" on the eve of the Spring Festival, the day before the winter festival is called "adding years" or "sub-years", which means that the "year" is not over yet, but everyone has grown one year.
Some "bask in winter rice" on this day. It is to wash the white rice with water, expose it to the sun on this day and collect it for the sick people to cook porridge in the future.
Winter solstice food culture
After thousands of years of development, the winter solstice has formed a unique seasonal food culture. The more common custom is to eat wonton on the winter solstice. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, people in Lin 'an ate wonton on the winter solstice. At first, it was to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, and then it gradually became popular. There was a saying among the people that "wonton on the winter solstice and noodles on the summer solstice". Up to now, wonton has become a famous snack with many names, different productions, delicious flavor and spread all over the country, which is deeply loved by people. Wonton has many names, such as Wonton in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Wonton in Guangdong, Noodles in Hubei, Clear Soup in Jiangxi, Wonton in Sichuan, Ququ in Xinjiang and so on.
Eating dumplings is also a traditional custom of the winter solstice, especially in Jiangnan. "Tangyuan" is an essential food in the winter solstice, and it is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Round" means "reunion" and "perfection", and eating tangyuan in the winter solstice is also called "winter solstice group". There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". The winter solstice group can be used to worship ancestors or to give gifts to relatives and friends. In the old days, Shanghainese were most particular about eating dumplings. The ancients had a poem saying: "Every family beats rice to make glutinous rice balls, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty.
In many places in the north, there is a custom of eating dog meat and mutton on the winter solstice, because the weather enters the coldest period after the winter solstice. Chinese medicine believes that mutton and dog meat have aphrodisiac and tonic effects, and there is a folk custom of tonic on the winter solstice so far.
In Taiwan Province, China, the tradition of worshipping ancestors with nine-layer cakes on the winter solstice is still preserved. Glutinous rice flour is used to knead animals such as chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cows, sheep, etc., which symbolize good luck and good luck, and then steamed in layers in a steamer to worship ancestors to show that they do not forget their ancestors. On the winter solstice or at the early date agreed before and after, people with the same surname and the same clan gather in the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors one by one in the order of seniority, commonly known as "ancestor worship." After the ceremony, there will be a big banquet to entertain the clansmen who come to worship their ancestors. Everyone drinks heartily and connects with each other after a long separation, which is called "food ancestor". The Winter Solstice Festival has been handed down from generation to generation in Taiwan Province to show that you don't forget your "roots"
Traditional Cultural Significance of Winter Solstice 2 Why did the ancients attach great importance to this festival?
In ancient times, due to the underdeveloped astronomical calendar, we attached great importance to observing the sun's shadow, and attached great importance to the four days of winter solstice, summer solstice, vernal equinox and autumn equinox. On the winter solstice, the sun shadow is the longest, that is, the slope is the largest and the days are the shortest. From this day on, the days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter. Therefore, the ancients believed that it was the beginning of everything in Yin and Yang. Therefore, every winter solstice, the court held a grand ceremony, and the ceremony was very grand.
Shen Yue's Song Shu said: "The winter solstice is like the instrument of the Yuan Dynasty." It can be seen that both yuan and Japan are equally important. There is also the custom of entering shoes and socks. In the Middle Ages, women often made shoes and socks for their in-laws on the winter solstice. There is also the custom of making red bean porridge.
The winter solstice has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is not only a natural solar term, but also a traditional festival to worship ancestors. The winter solstice is one of the eight festivals of the year. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has a tradition of offering sacrifices to ancestors on the winter solstice to show filial piety and not forgetting the roots. Due to the different manners and customs in different places, the forms of ancestor worship are also different.
Historically, the winter solstice was regarded as a big holiday in winter. The saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year is widely circulated among the people. The winter solstice is also called "sub-year" and "off-year", which means that the year is approaching and the winter solstice is important. As soon as the winter solstice arrives, the New Year is just around the corner, so the ancients thought that the winter solstice was as important as the New Year. In ancient times, people who drifted in other places had to go home for the winter festival at this time, which was called "having a home at the end of the year".
The winter solstice was still very grand in the Tang Dynasty. Japanese monk Yuanren recorded in "Journey to the Tang Dynasty to Seek the Dharma" (Volume I): On November 27, three years, the winter solstice festival, Taoism and customs exchanged greetings. Those who live in customs, worship officials, and celebrate the winter solstice. Seeing the "xianggong", he said, "As the luck goes on, the day will grow to the south, and Fuwei's" xianggong "will honor the body." Noble and humble officials and people all meet to congratulate each other. Monks meet each other, pay homage, recite the words of the winter solstice and worship each other. When a layman enters a temple, there is also a ceremony. There is also a long passage below to record the etiquette and language of the monks congratulating each other in the temple. On the day before, Yuanren recorded: "At night, people are salty and don't sleep." This is the same as keeping watch on New Year's Eve.
Yuanren believes that the winter solstice in the Tang Dynasty is as grand as the first day of the first month in Japan. However, there are few documents about the winter solstice and the Spring Festival in the Tang Dynasty, so this record is very valuable for broadening our horizons.
Traditional Cultural Significance of the Winter Solstice 3 The Significance and Origin of the Winter Solstice
The winter solstice is a traditional festival in China, and it is also one of the 24 solar terms in China. At the time of the winter solstice, there is a custom of eating glutinous rice balls in the south and jiaozi in the north.
The significance of the winter solstice:
The cold is coming, and winter officially begins.
The winter solstice is the most important of the 24 solar terms. According to the Gregorian calendar, the winter solstice is usually on1February 22-23 (this year's date is 22nd 12 19). On this day, the sun travels to 270 degrees of the ecliptic, with the southernmost latitude and direct sunlight on the Tropic of Capricorn. In the northern hemisphere, the day is the shortest and the night is the longest (within the Arctic Circle, it is 24 hours). On the day of the winter solstice, the height of the sun at noon in the northern hemisphere is also the lowest. For example, in Beijing, the height of the sun is only 26 42', because the shadow at noon on this day is the longest, so it is also called "long to the sun".
China attached great importance to the winter solstice in ancient times, and stipulated that the month with the winter solstice was the "sub-month", which was the first branch of the twelve regions. Therefore, the winter solstice is still a traditional festival, commonly known as "winter festival" and "long solstice festival". From the winter solstice, the days will gradually become longer. The ancients thought that this was "the arrival of the cathode, the beginning of the yang", so the winter solstice was regarded as the real starting point of the annual cycle, the natural fate cycle and the growth cycle of all things. Among the hexagrams representing the winter solstice, the bottom one of the six yin hexagrams, which were all yin, has become a yang hexagram, so the winter solstice is also called "one yang is born".
Origin of winter solstice:
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 a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. During the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, it was stipulated that the day before the winter solstice was the end of the year, and the winter solstice festival was equivalent to the Spring Festival. Later, the summer calendar was implemented. However, the winter solstice has always ranked first among the 24 solar terms, which is called "sub-year-old".
People originally celebrated the Winter Solstice Festival to celebrate the arrival of the new year. The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the sun be the spirit of heaven and earth began to flourish, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which is the day of good luck. Therefore, later, during the Spring Festival, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners often appeared in the winter solstice. The winter solstice as a festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since.