As early as 2,500 years ago, about the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), China had determined the point of Winter Solstice by observing movements of the sun with a sundial. It is the earliest of the 24 seasonal division points. The time will be each December 22 or 23 according to the Gregorian calendar.

　　The Northern hemisphere on this day experiences the shortest daytime and longest nighttime. After the Winter Solstice, days will become longer and longer. As ancient Chinese thought, the yang, or muscular, positive things will become stronger and stronger after this day, so it should be celebrated.

　　The Winter Solstice became a festival during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and thrived in the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279). The Han people regarded Winter Solstice as a "Winter Festival", so officials would organize celebrating activities. On this day, both officials and common people would have a rest. The army was stationed in, frontier fortresses closed and business and traveling stopped. Relatives and friends presented to each other delicious food. In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer scarifies to Heaven and ancestors. Emperors would go to suburbs to worship the Heaven; while common people offered sacrifices to their deceased parents or other relatives. The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) even had the record that "Winter Solstice is as formal as the Spring Festival," showing the great importance attached to this day.

　　In some parts of Northern China, people eat dumpling soup on this day; while residents of some other places eat dumplings, saying doing so will keep them from frost in the upcoming winter. But in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have a meal made of red-bean and glutinous rice to drive away ghosts and other evil things. In other places, people also eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour. The Winter Solstice rice dumplings could be used as sacrifices to ancestors, or gifts for friends and relatives. The Taiwan people even keep the custom of offering nine-layer cakes to their ancestors. They make cakes in the shape of chicken, duck, tortoise, pig, cow or sheep with glutinous rice flour and steam them on different layers of a pot. These animals all signify auspiciousness in Chinese tradition. People of the same surname or family clan gather at their ancestral temples to worship their ancestors in age order. After the sacrificial ceremony, there is always a grand banquet.

　　早在2500年前,關(guān)于春秋時(shí)期(公元前770—476年),中國(guó)已經(jīng)確定冬至的時(shí)候通過觀察運(yùn)動(dòng)的太陽日晷。它是最早的季節(jié)性部門24點(diǎn)。時(shí)間在每年公歷12月22日或者23日之間。

　　北半球在這一天白天最短,黑夜最長(zhǎng)的經(jīng)歷。在冬至后,天會(huì)變得越來越長(zhǎng)。作為中國(guó)古代思想、楊、肌肉發(fā)達(dá),積極的事情這一天后就會(huì)越來越強(qiáng),所以它應(yīng)該慶祝。

　　冬至成為節(jié)日在漢代(公元前206年-公元220年),在唐宋時(shí)期(618 - 1279)。漢人把冬至作為“冬季節(jié)”,所以官員會(huì)組織慶?；顒?dòng)。在這一天,官員和老百姓都將休息。軍隊(duì)駐扎在邊境要塞關(guān)閉和商業(yè)和旅游停止。親戚和朋友互相介紹美味的食物。在唐宋時(shí)期,冬至是一天提供嚴(yán)厲批評(píng)天堂和祖先?；实蹠?huì)去郊區(qū)敬拜天上;而老百姓死去的父母或其他親屬獻(xiàn)祭。清朝(1644 - 1911)甚至有記錄,“冬至是正式的春節(jié),“顯示了高度重視。

　　在中國(guó)北方的一些地方,人們?cè)谶@一天吃餃子湯,而其他地方的居民吃餃子,說這樣做會(huì)讓他們從弗羅斯特在即將到來的冬天。但在中國(guó)南部地區(qū),全家人會(huì)在一起吃飯的紅豆糯米趕走鬼怪和其他邪惡的東西。在其他地方,人們還吃湯圓,一種填充小餃子糯米粉制成的球。冬至粽子可以作為祭祀祖先,或給朋友和親戚的禮物。甚至臺(tái)灣人民保持提供nine-layer蛋糕他們祖先的習(xí)俗。他們做蛋糕形狀的雞、鴨、龜、豬、?；蜓蚺c糯米粉和蒸汽鍋的不同層。這些動(dòng)物象征吉祥喜慶的傳統(tǒng)。人相同的姓或家庭家族聚集在他們的祖先的廟宇崇拜祖先時(shí)代順序。祭祀儀式后,總有一個(gè)盛大的宴會(huì)。