Characteristics of winter solstice

In winter solstice, the sun shines almost directly on the tropic of Capricorn (also known as the winter solstice daily line), so the winter solstice is the shortest day in the northern hemisphere, and the sun is the lowest at noon. After the winter solstice, the sun gradually moves northward and the days become longer and longer. This day is not the coldest time, but it is regarded as the beginning of winter in astronomy. Because China is a vast country and spans a long time, it is likely that this day will be chosen as beginning of winter, but the actual coldest day varies from place to place.

Winter solstice customs in various places

All parts of our country attach great importance to the winter solstice. Whenever the winter solstice comes, there will be corresponding celebrations to prepare for the next day. In the north, there are jiaozi and wonton. There is a custom of eating red bean rice and dog meat in the south. There is a proverb, "On October 1st, when the solstice of winter comes, every family eats jiaozi." This is enough to prove that China attaches importance to the winter solstice.

Three stages of winter solstice

In ancient China, the winter solstice was divided into three periods. Solstice of winter: wait for earthworms to knot; Two-phase angular solution; Wait for the spring to move. Earthworm knot refers to the earthworm crouching in the winter solstice, the angle of view is that Yin Qi gradually recedes, and the angle of view is solved in the winter solstice, and the spring movement is the spring flow in the winter solstice. The ancients thought that every five days was a waiting period. Earthworms tied knots from winter to the sun, elk horns untied on the fifth day, and spring moved on the fifth day. According to this time, we can calculate the start and end time of each period of winter solstice.