Winter Solstice Festival
Introduction
Since the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), by observing the movements of the sun with a sundial, China had determined the point of Winter Solstice. On the day, the Northern hemisphere has the shortest daytime and longest nighttime. After the day, the daytime will become longer and longer. It became a festival from Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). People usually eat dumplings or tangyuan (a kind of stuffed ball made of glutinous rice flour) to celebrate the day.
Fast Facts about Winter Solstice
Chinese Name: | 冬至 Dōngzhì |
---|---|
Alternative Names: | Winter Festival |
Date: | around December 22nd (December 21st, 22nd or 23rd) |
Countries to Celebrate: | China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam |
Festival Type: | Traditional Chinese Festival |
Traditions and Customs: | Making and eating of dumplings or tangyuan, Ancestor worship |
Festival Food: | Dumplings, Tangyuan, Mutton, Noodles, Wonton, Red-bean and glutinous rice meal |
Date of Winter Solstice
Year | Date of Winter Solstice |
---|---|
2018 | Dec. 22nd |
2019 | Dec. 22nd |
2020 | Dec. 21st |
2021 | Dec. 21st |
Why the Chinese People celebrate Winter Solstice?
Origin and History
Traditions and Customs
The dumpling is the essential food for people in northern China. After the winter solstice, it will become colder and colder. By eating dumplings, people think they can avoid their ears from being frostbitten as the dumplings look like people’s ear.
Eating tangyuan is popular in southern China. It is a kind of glutinous rice ball with different fillings. It can be boiled or fried. People think after eating it, they will age one. People also use it to sacrifice or present to relatives and friends.
The tradition of eating wonton on the day is from Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279 AD). It was for sacrificing the ancestors at that time. Later, the custom prevailed.
It has a custom of peping up on the winter solstice. As the mutton can pep people up, in some areas of northern China, people have the custom of eating the mutton.
Having a meal made of red-bean and glutinous rice is also popular for people in southern China. By eating it, people think ghosts and evil things can be driven away.
Story
More Traditional Chinese Festivals:
Chinese Spring Festival Laba Festival Lantern Festival Dragon Heads-raising Day Qingming Festival Ghost Festival Mid-Autumn Festival Double Seventh Festival Dragon Boat Festival The Double Ninth Festival
Chinese Calendar
Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28十六/16 | 29十七/17 | 30十八/18 | 31十九/19 | 1二十/20 | 2廿壹/21 | 3廿二/22 |
4廿三/23 | 5廿四/24 | 6廿五/25 | 7廿六/26 | 8廿七/27 | 9廿八/28 | 10廿九/29 |
11三十/30 | 三月 (Mar) 12初壹/1 | 13初二/2 | 14初三/3 | 15初四/4 | 16初五/5 | 17初六/6 |
18初七/7 | 19初八/8 | 20初九/9 | 21初十/10 | 22十壹/11 | 23十二/12 | 24十三/13 |
25十四/14 | 26十五/15 | 27十六/16 | 28十七/17 | 29十八/18 | 30十九/19 | 1二十/20 |
Lunar Date
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