Why is the solstice in winter a small year? The solstice of winter is the origin of off-year

1, winter solstice, also known as short day, winter festival, age division, winter worship, etc. It is not only an important solar term among the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional folk festival in China. The solstice in winter is one of the eight festivals in four seasons, and it is considered as a big holiday in winter. There is an ancient saying that the solstice in winter is as big as a year, so the ancients called it "off-year" or "off-year". This shows that the year is coming, and the second is the importance of the winter solstice. When 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. Many places still maintain the traditional custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors from the winter solstice.

2. After the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, Duke Zhou wanted to find a national center to facilitate the construction of ancestral temples and sacrificial activities. He sent an expert to get an eight-foot pole, called Tugui, and wanted to be a measuring instrument now. He stuck it in the ground and measured the center of the country according to the length of the shadow.

They designated the day with the longest shadow as the winter solstice, so the winter solstice was the first solar term to be determined. The shortest day is the summer solstice, which is the second solar term.