Interpreting the meaning of winter solstice
Explain the meaning of winter solstice and winter solstice, also known as solstice, winter festival, Asian New Year, etc. There are two connotations: nature and humanity. It is not only an important solar term among the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional folk ancestor worship festival in China. Let's look at the meaning of the winter solstice.
Winter Solstice 1 Interpretation of the meaning Winter Solstice is one of the eight seasons and is regarded as a major holiday in winter. In ancient times, there was a saying that the winter solstice was as big as a year. The custom of winter solstice varies in content or details due to different regions. In southern China, there are customs of offering sacrifices to ancestors and enjoying the winter solstice. In northern China, it is a custom to eat jiaozi from winter to Sunday every year.
The winter solstice is the 22nd solar term in the "24 solar terms", and the solar calendar reaches 270 degrees. Every year, the festival is held on 65438+February 2 1-23 in the Gregorian calendar. The solstice in winter is the extreme point of direct sunlight spreading to the south. From winter to the sun, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, and the sun is most inclined to the northern hemisphere, and the solar altitude angle is the smallest. In all parts of the northern hemisphere, the days are the shortest and the nights are the longest. The solstice in winter is also a turning point for the sun to return directly to the north. After this day, the direct point of the sun begins to move northward from the Tropic of Capricorn (23 26' s), and the daylight in the northern hemisphere (China is located in the northern hemisphere) will increase day by day.
In winter solstice, although the sun is low and the days are short, the temperature in winter solstice is not the lowest in meteorology. In fact, because there is still "accumulated heat" on the surface, it is usually not very cold before the winter solstice, and the real cold is after the winter solstice.
Because of the great difference in climate in different parts of China, this climatic winter is obviously late for most parts of China. The winter solstice marks the beginning of the cold season, and people begin to count to nine to calculate the cold weather (folk proverb: "The summer solstice is the third watch, and the winter solstice is the ninth watch").
Historical origin
China's astrological culture has a long history and is profound. The twenty-four solar terms were originally formulated on the basis of changing stars. In different seasons and at different times, the Big Dipper will point in different directions, that is, "bucket handle points to the East, and the world is spring;" Guide to barrel handle, it's summer in the world; Bucket handle refers to the west, and the world is autumn; Bucket handle refers to the north, and it is winter in the world. " . "Twenty-four solar terms" is the product of ancient farming civilization, which is related to the time of gossip and has a long history.
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, the "Twenty-four solar terms" were absorbed into taichu calendar as a supplement to the calendar to guide agriculture in the northern part of the Central Plains. The "Twenty-four solar terms" were measured by Tugui's solar shadow measurement in the Yellow River basin.
The current "twenty-four solar terms" are determined according to the position of the sun on the ecliptic, that is, on a "ecliptic" with a circumference of 360 degrees (the apparent path of the sun on the celestial sphere for one year), the spring is divided into 0 degrees, and every time the sun runs on the ecliptic, 15 degrees is a "solar term". In the process of inheritance and development, the 24 solar terms have been incorporated into the lunar calendar and become an important part of the lunar calendar.
The winter solstice, known as the "southern solstice", is a solar term reflecting the direct sunlight movement. On the winter solstice, the sun goes south to the extreme, and the sun shines directly on the tropic of Capricorn. Since the winter solstice, the direct point of the sun has returned to the north. The solstice in winter is the turning point of "going south to north". Since then, the sun has risen in height and the days in the northern hemisphere have increased day by day.
The solstice in winter marks the rebirth of the sun and the round-trip movement of the sun into a new cycle. The solstice in winter is an auspicious day. For example, "Hanshu" said: "The sun shines on the winter solstice, and the monarch is long, so congratulations." After the winter solstice, the days are getting longer and longer and the sun rises. This is the beginning of a round-trip cycle of direct sunlight, which should be celebrated.
Three Rites and Righteousness Interpretation written by Cui Lingen in the Southern Dynasties recorded that (winter) has three meanings: one is the arrival of yin, the other is the beginning of yang, and the third is the south, so it is called winter. "The ancients believed that the solstice in winter was a day of struggle between Yin and Yang, and it was a good time to predict the sunny and rainy days in one year and even the human fortune in the coming year.
The ancients said to the winter solstice: When the cathode arrived, Yang began to grow. Chen Zhisui's Collection of Classrooms says: "Summer is the end of the autumn equinox, and spring is the winter solstice." It is also said that the solstice in winter is in the south of the sky, and the days are short and the shadows are long. "Winter solstice" is the natural transformation of Yin and Yang, which indicates whether it is extremely pleasant.
Winter solstice, also known as winter festival, big winter, sub-year, off-year and long festival. Taking the winter solstice as the dividing point, the ancient solar terms began a new cycle. Huainanzi recorded: "beginning of spring is 46 days away from the winter solstice.
What are the characteristics of winter weather from solstice to solstice?
Astronomy regards the winter solstice as the beginning of winter, which is obviously late for most parts of China. There is a cloud in the poem: "The northwest wind hits a hundred herbs and declines, and the cold rises several times a day. The daytime is the shortest, but I see Jin Mei blooming. " (Heshui Zuo) In all parts of the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice is the shortest day in a year. After the winter solstice, the direct point of the sun gradually moved northward, the days in the northern hemisphere began to get longer and the height of the sun gradually increased at noon. Therefore, there is a saying, "Eating noodles on the solstice in winter will make the day longer."
Climatically, during the winter solstice, the average temperature in the northwest plateau is generally below 0℃, and the southern region is only about 6℃ to 8℃. In addition, the winter solstice begins to count to nine, and the winter solstice becomes the first day to count to nine. As for "Counting Nine", there is a folk song that goes like this: "Don't do it in September, walk on the ice in March and April, watch the willows along the river in May and June, open the river in July and September, geese come in August and September, and cows go everywhere in September and September." However, in the southwest low-altitude valley area, even in the coldest local165438+ in early October, the average temperature is still above 10℃. It can be said that autumn goes and spring comes, and there is no winter all year round.
Winter solstice, commonly known as "winter festival", "dragon solstice festival" or "Asian New Year", is an important solar term in the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar and a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. The solstice in winter is a "winter festival", so it is considered as a big holiday in winter.
In ancient times, there was a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as a year". In ancient times, people wandering in other places had to go home for the New Year at this time. The so-called "returning home at the end of the year" said in ancient times that "the winter solstice is a sunny day", that is to say, the spirit of the sun began to pick up slowly from the winter solstice.
Extended data
Pointing to the bucket, the longitude of the sun is 270, which is the solstice in winter. The first month is the first month, November is the second month, and the winter solstice is the 22nd of the 24 solar terms. The winter solstice usually falls on 65438+February 2 1 or 65438+February 22 in the Gregorian calendar.
Note: The average time method (used before 1645) does not consider the uneven speed of the sun moving on the ecliptic, which is different from the constant gas method (used since 1645), and the specific intersection time of each solar term is also different.
Astronomically, the "winter solstice" is the turning point of the sun's southward movement. In winter, the earth is located near the perihelion, and its running speed is slightly faster, which leads to that the time of direct sunlight in the southern hemisphere is about 8 days shorter than that in the northern hemisphere in a year, so the winter in the northern hemisphere is slightly shorter than that in summer.