Dong Zhi, or the Winter Solstice Festival, was celebrated by the Chinese of ancient times. It was commemorated in much the same way Chinese Lunar New Year is now - with visits to friends and relatives. There is customary feasting and businesses will close up for the day. During this time, people will assemble to eat "tang yuan" (glutinous flour balls) symbolizing a united family and togetherness.
How do you define the winter solstice?
A solstice is an astronomical expression that explains the time of year when the sun is spaced very far away from our equator. There is one solstice in the summer, corresponding to the longest day of the year, and another in the winter, corresponding to the shortest day of the year. The seasons may vary, however, considering the hemisphere you are talking about.
The winter solstice is caused by the Earth reaching its furthest point away from the sun. As the Earth circles the sun it simultaneously spins on its axis. When this tilt occurs, one hemisphere is further away from the sun and so it is in winter. At the same time, the other hemisphere is closer to the sun and has summer.
The word "Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. They form the word solstitium by combining sol (which means sun) and stitium (which means stop). When the solstice occurs, it appears as if the sun is doing exactly that. It reaches almost the same height at mid day for a few days around the solstice.
December 21st or 22nd are the choice of days that the winter solstices happen and the sun beams right over the tropic of Capricorn. In the southern hemisphere, winter solstice is celebrated on June 20th or 21st. This is the time when the sun is located just above the tropic of Cancer.
The shortest day and longest night of the year are celebrated by the Winter Solstice. This day is considered to be the mid-point of winter by many societies on their calendars. Amazingly, in the past 3,000 years, the date of the solstice has moved only one day.
Due to the fact that the sun seemed to be reborn as the days grew longer, a lot of ancient cultures naturally celebrated this time of rebirth as the winter solstice.
This was usually considered a beneficial change for the world as the evil signified by darkness was conquered by the good signified by light. At this present time some civilizations continue to celebrate festivals of light. Besides the Chinese Dong Zhi festival, the Germanic cultures observe Yule and Hindus commemorate Diwali, a celebration of light.
How do you define the winter solstice?
A solstice is an astronomical expression that explains the time of year when the sun is spaced very far away from our equator. There is one solstice in the summer, corresponding to the longest day of the year, and another in the winter, corresponding to the shortest day of the year. The seasons may vary, however, considering the hemisphere you are talking about.
The winter solstice is caused by the Earth reaching its furthest point away from the sun. As the Earth circles the sun it simultaneously spins on its axis. When this tilt occurs, one hemisphere is further away from the sun and so it is in winter. At the same time, the other hemisphere is closer to the sun and has summer.
The word "Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. They form the word solstitium by combining sol (which means sun) and stitium (which means stop). When the solstice occurs, it appears as if the sun is doing exactly that. It reaches almost the same height at mid day for a few days around the solstice.
December 21st or 22nd are the choice of days that the winter solstices happen and the sun beams right over the tropic of Capricorn. In the southern hemisphere, winter solstice is celebrated on June 20th or 21st. This is the time when the sun is located just above the tropic of Cancer.
The shortest day and longest night of the year are celebrated by the Winter Solstice. This day is considered to be the mid-point of winter by many societies on their calendars. Amazingly, in the past 3,000 years, the date of the solstice has moved only one day.
Due to the fact that the sun seemed to be reborn as the days grew longer, a lot of ancient cultures naturally celebrated this time of rebirth as the winter solstice.
This was usually considered a beneficial change for the world as the evil signified by darkness was conquered by the good signified by light. At this present time some civilizations continue to celebrate festivals of light. Besides the Chinese Dong Zhi festival, the Germanic cultures observe Yule and Hindus commemorate Diwali, a celebration of light.
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