Dongzhi Festival - Chinese Winter Solstice Festival

There is an old saying that Dongzhi (/dong-jrr/ 'the Winter Solstice') is more important than Chinese Lunar New Year. Dongzhi has an important place in the traditional festivals of China. It is usually celebrated on December 20th or 21st, when the night is longest and the day is shortest in the northern hemisphere. A traditional holiday celebrated by many Chinese people, Dongzhi has a long history and certain notable customs.

What is Dongzhi Festival?

Dongzhi (冬至) literally means 'Winter's Arrival'. It is one of the 24 solar terms of China's traditional solar calendar. It has long been celebrated on (China's) Winter Solstice when the night is longest, and the day is shortest in the Northern Hemisphere. Dongzhi became an imperially recognized traditional festival during the Han Dynasty era (206 BC – 220 AD).

How Chinese People Celebrate Dongzhi Festival

Chinese people celebrate Dongzhi Festival in many ways. The most popular ones are worshipping heaven and ancestors, saying the Nines of Winter, making rice wine, and eating dumplings and ginger rice.

Worshipping Heaven

Chinese people have worshipped heaven on Dongzhi Day since the Han Dynasty. Many temples were built for this reason, including the famous Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It was believed that heaven worship would bring a great harvest and good health for the coming year.

Worshipping Ancestors

It is a tradition to worship the ancestors as part of the Dongzhi Festival. People set up incense burners in front of their ancestors' tablets and place some food on a table in front, such as dumplings, steamed chicken, or cooked pork as a symbolic offering to their family ancestors. In some eastern parts of China, people take food and incense to their ancestors' tombs, sweep the tombs, and pay respects to their ancestors during the winter solstice festival.

Making Rice Wine

It is the tradition to drink rice wine on the night of Dongzhi in southern China. The rice wine is made with glutinous rice or yellow rice as well as sweet-scented osmanthus. Drinking liquor brings a feeling of warmth to the cold Dongzhi festival.

Making Roasted Meat for Chinese New Year

People in the south of China usually preserve roasted meats at Dongzhi Festival. Dongzhi baked pork has become an indispensable delicacy on the dinner tables of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces during Chinese New Year.

Counting the Nines of Winter (Shu Jiu)

In many areas of northern China, people count the Nines of Winter during the coldest part of winter. The Nines of Winter is a folk song. In Chinese traditional culture, nine is the 'extreme number', representing eternity. Chinese people believed that spring will come after nine periods of nine days starting from the Winter Solstice.

The Nines of Winter song goes like this:

The Temple of Heaven

'During the first and second nine days, it's too cold to put your hands in the air;
During the third and fourth nine days, you can walk on ice;
During the fifth and sixth nine days, willows on the banks start to sprout;
During the seventh nine days ice will dissolve;
During the eighth nine days, wild geese fly back north;
During the last nine days, farmers' oxen start to work in the fields.'
The song charts the changes in the weather and natural world that come before the time for farming to begin again.
* Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office