The winter solstice of this year takes place on Dec 22. Also known as "winter festival", "changzhi festival", "ya sui", etc., the winter solstice was highly valued by people in ancient times and regarded as a major festival. Hence the saying "The winter solstice is as important as Spring Festival".

In Kunshan, many senior locals are also busy with celebrations on this day: to pray to their ancestors, and to add a glass of winter solstice wine and a bowl of sweet dumplings to the dinner table.

Although people in Kunshan generally bear this festival in mind and some senior locals follow the customs of the day such as no visiting neighbors at night, eating sweet dumplings and drinking winter solstice wine, etc., the festival atmosphere is still no rival to Christmas, the western festival that comes three days later.

In terms of the younger generation in particular, the winter solstice has basically been neglected. The fading away of the winter solstice customs is closely associated with the "invasion" of western festivals and the fact that Kunshan is a migrant city.

So, how on earth does Kunshan traditionally celebrate the winter solstice? Kunshan Daily has sorted it out and let’s review it together.

There was an old saying "fat winter solstice and thin Spring Festival" in Kunshan. As stated in the chapter Winter Solstice Customs in Kunshan in China's National Customs, fish and meat are prepared several days before the winter solstice, and on the winter solstice day, fish, meat and vegetables are cooked, offered to ancestors and then served to friends and relatives, which is called "spending the winter solstice festival".

On the winter solstice eve, the locals customarily had a rich dinner. On the morning of the winter solstice, they ate big dumplings made of glutinous rice flour, or wontons in some towns. As the saying goes, "wontons on the winter solstice and noodles on the summer solstice", people generally had a bowl of warm wontons in the evening. In addition, on the winter solstice eve, people in Kunshan prayed to their ancestors and drank the winter solstice wine. Once the winter solstice came around, people would begin to make bacon and prepare for the Spring Festival, and rural residents began to pound rice for the next year.

The arrival of the winter solstice ushers in the coldest time of winter. As the coldest days of the year come along, it’s a good time to preserve our health as well. As of this solar term, life activities become less and quiet. Proper health-maintaining measures at this time can help to keep energetic, prevent premature aging and achieve longevity.