Is the Start of Winter a festival or a solar term?
The Start of Winter is both a festival and a solar term.The Start of Winter is a seasonal solar term, indicating that winter has begun. After the Start of Winter, the duration of daylight will continue to shorten, and the altitude of the noon sun will continue to decrease. In ancient society, the Start of Winter was one of the "Four Seasons and Eight Festivals," and people generally held sacrificial activities. The Start of Winter is not only the first season of winter, but in many places in ancient China, it was also celebrated as an important festival.
What is celebrated and worshipped on the Start of Winter?
The Start of Winter, together with the Start of Spring, the Start of Summer, and the Start of Autumn, is known as the Four Starts. "Start" means establishment and beginning. As one of the important solar terms of the Four Starts, the Start of Winter is one of the most important seasonal nodes in Chinese folk culture. "Harvest in autumn, store in winter," it is also a season for enjoying the harvest and resting. Through winter's rest, people look forward to prosperity and good fortune in the coming year. The Start of Winter is not only the first season of winter, but in many parts of China, it is also celebrated as an important festival. During the Start of Winter, there are traditional customs such as ancestor worship, banquets, and divination of the year in Chinese folk culture, offering seasonal delicacies to the ancestors, fulfilling the duty and responsibility of being a descendant, and praying to heaven for a bountiful year. Farmers also get the reward of drinking and resting.Do you want to know your birth chart? Want to find out where your golden marriage is? Click on the 【Premium Calculation】 below to calculate your birth chart and fortune!
