Winter Solstice

Video from Xinhua

As this year is coming to an end, we're moving to Dongzhi, or Winter Solstice, the 22nd of all 24 solar terms in a year.

Winter Solstice is also a major festival in winter. In ancient times, there was a saying, "The Winter Solstice is as significant as the Spring Festival." During the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer sacrifices to the ancestors.

The Winter Solstice is not normally the coldest day of the year. There is actually a lag between the shortest day of the year and the coldest average temperatures. The coldest time usually comes a month or two later because of the "accumulated heat" on earth. This effect, called 'the lag of the seasons,' is similar to when you turn down the heat while you're cooking — the pot won't immediately reach its coolest temperature.

On the first day of the Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night in the year, as the sun shines directly at the Tropic of Capricorn.

Eating dumplings is a common folk custom for many Chinese on the day of the Winter Solstice, especially those living in the north. The folklore has it that eating dumplings can protect your ears from frostbite.

In Southern China, people eat Tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour to celebrate the Winter Solstice.