The winter solstice originated in the Han Dynasty. Because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty abandoned the weekly calendar and re-adopted the summer calendar (lunar calendar) as the official calendar of the country, the winter solstice was separated from the first month and officially became an independent festival, which officially became one of the festivals that influenced future generations for more than 2,000 years. The custom of winter solstice originated in Han Dynasty and flourished in Tang and Song Dynasties. Until now, there is a folk saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year, which shows that people attach importance to the winter solstice.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice was the day when the royal family offered sacrifices to heaven, land and ancestors, and the people also offered sacrifices to ancestors on this day. This custom has been passed down until now, and many people in southern China still have the custom of offering sacrifices to their ancestors. The customs of celebrating the winter solstice in different places are different in content and details. There is a custom of eating jiaozi every winter from the solstice in the northern region.

Introduction of solar terms:

China's astrology culture has a long history and is profound. The ancients began to explore the mysteries of the universe very early, and thus deduced a complete and profound star-watching culture. "Twenty-four solar terms" is the product of ancient farming civilization, which has a long history and is associated with heavenly stems and earthly branches and Bagua.

The age of early observation of images and timing was determined according to the changes of stars. The Big Dipper is an important astrological sign in the Northern Hemisphere (China is located in the Northern Hemisphere). When the stars rotate, the natural rhythm of the corresponding areas in the Northern Hemisphere is gradually changing. The bucket handle cycle of the Big Dipper starts from the "Yin position" (the gossip position the day after tomorrow) due to the east and north, and then points to the twelve mornings in turn. Tianyuan begins in Yin, and bucket handle begins in the northeast (Yin position, acquired gossip position) and rotates clockwise.