DongZhi – winter solstice holiday

chiny24.com 1 year ago

When the Christian planet enters Christmas in China, preparations for the DongZi (chin. 冬至) festival, or the winter solstice, or virtually the winter solstice, which falls this year on December 22. The day marked by this date is the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

The old saying is that “The Winter Solstice is as large as the fresh Year” (chin. “冬至大如年).^{[ 1]}

Christmas DongZhi, as well as another Chinese conventional holidays, has a long past and is rich in circumstantial customs.

The beginnings of the celebration Han dynasty (Chinese: 汉朝) reigning in 206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E. At that time, as the legend wants, the wise man Zhou Feng (chin. 周芳) calculated the winter solstice day utilizing a solar clock in his research. For China, where the most crucial social function was played by cultivation, this cognition was of large importance. It allowed precise planning of crops and crops. Therefore, in a short time the day appointed by Zhou Feng became an crucial vacation in the Chinese calendar.

In Times Tang Dynasty (chin. 唐朝, 618–907) and Song dynasty (chin. 宋朝, 960–1279), imperial officials were granted a 7-day leave of absence so that they could return home and celebrate DongZhi with their household so that they could decently worship heaven and ancestors. It was believed that worshiping the heavens would bring abundant fruit and wellness in the coming year. From this period besides comes the Beijing Temple of Heaven (chin. 天坛), to which the emperor came personally all year to worship heaven.

The DongZhi tradition is based on the ancient doctrine of yin and yang, forces/elements that represent universal harmony and balance. During the dark winter solstice, the negative energy yin reaches its peak. From this point on, it begins to yield a place of affirmative yang energy, which grows as spring approaches – days become longer.

Based on the belief that erstwhile days are short, yang energy is limited, according to Chinese medical cuisine, at specified times it is good to consume high-energy yang, warming and spicy foods, containing meat and warming herbs with high-energy yang, like ginger and garlic.

Today this day is neither an authoritative vacation nor a day off from work, but tradition has survived. First of all, on this day worshiping the ancestors.

They visit their graves, clean them, pray to their ancestors, lay flowers on their graves, and light incense. After visiting the burial sites of the ancestors, according to tradition, families meet at a common table in the evening to have a rich dinner. And as usual in the case of Chinese holidays, what you consume this evening has its meaning, its vacation specificity.

Traditional drinks and dishes {2}

Drinking rice wine (chin. 黄酒)

is a common tradition in the east and south of the country. Rice wine is produced as a consequence of the fermentation of yellow rice, and on Christmas day they are drunk with the addition of ginger or cinnamon, which are among the 10 most favourite herbs and spices in China. The consumption of rice wine allows you to warm up in the winter evening after a day spent on the graves of your ancestors. Many believe that drinking rice wine will bring them a better life. There is an old saying: “The winter solstice without winter wine is freezing at night. In the north of the country where the winters are harsh, stronger drinks are drunk, especially by BeiJiu (chin. 白酒) with a power of at least 52⁰of which the highest value is MouTai.

dumplings(chin. 饺子, JiaoZi),

This is simply a dish of a centuries-old and possibly even a multi-millennial tradition, which is eaten “since always” on the occasion of Christmas, especially in northern China. An old proverb says eating dumplings during DongZhi can defend your ears from frostbite. According to legend, in ancient times, the doctor Zhang Zhong Jing (chin. 张仲景, lived between 150/154 – 215/219) began to levitate a pastry with a filling of mutton, ginger, garlic and herbs shaped like ears, and then recommended eating them to people affected by frostbite.

To this day, any believe that eating dumplings on DongZhi Day will prevent the freezing of ears. During this holiday, preparing dumplings is simply a household custom.

Glue rice balls(chin. 汤圆, Tangyuan)

are the second most popular food consumed during this vacation – especially in the south of the country. The past of their consumption dates back to the Song dynasty. They symbolize household unity and prosperity. They are filled with bean paste or meat with sweet herbs. They are frequently served in a bowl with sweet sauce or broth.

HunTun soup (chin. 馄饨)

DongZhi, the specialty of the east regions of the country, will be the next mandatory one. The HunTun filling is akin to that of dumplings (meat, vegetables, etc.), however, their dough is much thinner than pierogies. There is simply a common belief that eating this soup helps to keep the body warm in winter.

Lamb’s soup(chin. 羊肉汤, YanRou Tang)

is a dish peculiarly popular in the western and northern parts of the country. In Chinese culinary culture, mutton is considered a meal having a beneficial effect on blood, allows you to keep your body warm and helps prevent colds. It is considered food to last winter in health.

Other disheswhich appear on the table during dinner on the day of this holiday, and disagree in the way of preparation depending on the region, NianGao rice cake (chin. 年糕)

whether rice congee BaZhou (chin. 八粥) with 8 ingredients.

While DongZhi prepares The tastiest tofu (chin. 豆腐, DouFu )

Soy milk.

Christmas tofu is prepared utilizing cold water (winter...), which gives it a clear taste and a circumstantial "shrink" consistency.

Villages or tiny towns are surrounded by sausages and sausages. This is simply a period of slaughtering pigs, preparing meats, curling it, drying sausages – after all, the Chinese fresh Year's coming...

One of the vacation traditions cultivated inactive in the countryside is singing the song "The Song of 9 Days of Winter" (chin. "冬九九歌"). W Chinese numerology 9 is the number representing eternity, that's the number reserved for the emperor. The song states that after 9 lunar periods, or 81 days (9×9=81), counting from the winter solstice, spring will come.

In free translation:

‘The first and second 9 days are so cold that the hands swell,

Chickens and dogs frost to death.

When 9 3rd and four, you can walk on ice.

In the 5th and sixth 9 on the banks of the rivers the willows grow buds,

And erstwhile the seventh 9 on the rivers lets out the ice.

In the eighth 9 chaotic geese go home north.

In the ninth oxen they go to work in the fieldIt’s okay. ”

(chin. ‘一九二九闭门塞手, 三九四九冻死鸡狗, 五九六九沿河看柳, 七九河开, 八九燕来, 九九加一九. 耕牛遍地走.’)

DongZhi, or the minute of winter, gave emergence to a tradition that prompts the full household to gather at a warm dinner in a warm, cozy home. To comfort the soul and body in the face of the coming winter. Today, it is widely believed that the more DongZhi day is celebrated, the better the coming year will be.

It's an echo of agrarian tradition. After all, there is nothing better erstwhile harvested, and preparations for the winter period completed, how to spend the longest night of the year with your household and friends, warm not only rice wine, warm dishes, but besides conversations, smiles, being with others. It's a supply of hope for hard times that will pass, due to the fact that spring will come. Since DongZhi, as Zhou Feng discovered, the nights are getting shorter and the days are getting longer.

Here are the wishes for this holiday. They may be useful to those who would like to want their Chinese friends and friends:

“Happy Winter Solstice” (chin. “冬至快乐”)

“Happy winter solstice and stay warm in winter!” (chin. “冬至快乐,冬天注意保暖!).

I want you the same for Christmas.

Until next reading.

^{1} Where did it come from that DongZhi – the winter solstice – is like the Chinese fresh Year? Many inactive mention to this vacation as “Little fresh Year”. The winter solstice is 1 of the first dates set among 24 solar-moon cycles that form the conventional Chinese calendar. This calendar was of large importance to more than 90% of all Chinese surviving from farm work – it helped farmers closely track seasonal changes.

And referring to this calendar Prince Dan (chin. 丹) with Zhou dynasty (Chinese: 周朝, 1046 B.C.E. – 256 B.C.E.), about which we know that he died in 226 years before our Common Era, proposed that the year should begin with the winter solstice, or DongZhi.

Chinese fresh Year was not considered the beginning of the year for hundreds of years. Only thanks to Emperor Wu (chin. 武) from the western Han dynasty (Chinese: 汉西朝, 202 B.C. – 9 C.E.) The Spring Day was considered the beginning of the following year. So it cannot be amazing that the winter solstice remains so crucial in Chinese culture. This makes even more sense erstwhile we look at them through the prism of Chinese society, for thousands of years mainly agricultural.

^{2} According to conventional Chinese medicine, during the winter the body needs remainder and regeneration, which is served by high-fat, high-calorie products (e.g. mutton soup, ginseng, ginger dishes). During this time it is crucial to relax, relax and relieve stress.

Winter can be a depressing period for many, in which outdoor activity is importantly limited due to the weather (rain, snow, wind, ice). Therefore, it is crucial to take care of your intellectual wellness during this time, what you can do, giving precedence to the time spent with your household and loved ones, not worrying about trivial things, taking care of your physical and intellectual wellness comfort. The most crucial condition for maintaining wellness during winter is to keep the body warm, due to the fact that erstwhile the body is warm, the blood can flow smoothly throughout the body. Healthy blood flow helps keep optimal wellness and prevent all kinds of diseases.

According to conventional Chinese medicine, “colding begins with feet” (chin. 寒从脚下起). Since the feet are farthest from the heart, the blood supply is slower and mostly limited. The skin of the feet is thin, so the heat level is rather low. Therefore, the common proposition of this medicine is to keep your feet warm during all cold months. So let's stay warm and healthy. And remember, Christmas socks aren't that stupid...

The DongZhi festival is celebrated not only in China, but besides in South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

Sources used: