From calendar to culture: Winter Solstice a special occasion in China

Today is Winter Solstice, or dongzhi in Chinese, as the shortest daytime and the longest night, this offers a chance to taste delicacies and to practice folk customs across China. The day not only means another solar term but also marks an important festive day on Chinese lunar calendar.

Dongzhi is the first settled solar term in Chinese history and boasts a history of more than 2,000 years.

In ancient times, Chinese people would hold ceremonies honoring their ancestors on the day of dongzhi, and this tradition is still practiced in parts of China, like Sanmen County in east China's Zhejiang Province.

People in Sanmen conduct an ancestor-worship ceremony in their homes and in ancestral halls, showing their reverences and gratitude to their ancestors. This practice also reflects their inheritance of traditional Chinese culture.

Food for dongzhi varies across China, from Jiaozi (or dumpling dish) to tangyuan (a kind of sweet dumpling made of glutinous rice flour and black sesame paste), wontons,  to mutton soup... Whatever the type of delicacies, they bear people's best wishes and offer comfort to people on special occasion.

Dongzhi inaugurates the coldest 81-day period on the traditional calendar known in Chinese as shujiu hantian, suggesting the coldest period in the year. This period is further segmented into nine units of "nine days." When the ninth "nine days" comes, most parts of China will get ready to welcome the spring season.

In Chinese culture, an old saying goes, "The Winter Solstice is as important as the Spring Festival." With that, the days of dongzhi are definitely a reflection of ancient Chinese people's wisdom and wishes that have transcended beyond time and passed down from generation to generation.