What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice is the day of the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest night in the southern hemisphere.

Origin of the Winter Solstice

Due to geographical location as well as cultural exchange over many years, the Vietnamese winter solstice is similar to the Chinese winter solstice, both originating from the agricultural calendar (or lunar calendar).

Based on the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars in the sky combined with the law of Yin - Yang, the ancients realized that we have 4 seasons in a year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Each season includes 6 solar terms, a year has a total of 24 solar terms, of which there are 8 main solar terms: Beginning of spring, Spring equinox, Beginning of summer, Summer solstice, Beginning of autumn, Autumn equinox, Beginning of winter and Winter solstice.

These eight solar terms were established according to the ancient Chinese calendar and their names represent the beginning and end of a season. Dongzhi (or Winter Solstice) is the last solar term of the year and Dongzhi is the time in the last solar term of the year that helps the Chinese determine the date of the Lunar New Year of the following year.

According to Western astronomy, this day marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere, and the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere. According to the Eastern perspective, the winter solstice is the day in the middle of winter, the word Chi (至) in Dongzhi (冬至) means reaching the extreme point. On this day, the Sun will be at its highest point in the southern sky at noon, then slowly return to the north.

The winter solstice is the day of the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest night in the southern hemisphere.

What day is winter solstice 2023?

Winter Solstice is the first day of the Winter Solstice. This solar term usually begins around December 21-22 of the Gregorian calendar and ends around January 5-6 of the following year , before the Minor Cold season begins.

The Winter Solstice in 2023 lasts from Friday, December 22, 2023, which is November 10 of the Lunar calendar, and ends on Friday, January 5, 2024, which is November 24 of the Lunar calendar.

So, this year's Winter Solstice lasts 15 days. The first day is Winter Solstice - Friday, December 22, 2023.

In Western astronomical terms, it is the time relative to the position of the planet in its orbit around the Sun. It is when the Sun's longitude is 270 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere, and is also the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

What is special about the winter solstice?

Our Earth is not flat, but tilted 23.5 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. So on the winter solstice, our Earth's southern hemisphere will be tilted most toward the Sun.

Winter Solstice in Vietnam is not very special. However, many places in the world choose this day as a festival day. The solstice occurs twice a year, one in the summer called the Summer Solstice in June, and the other in the winter called the Winter Solstice in December. On the Winter Solstice, the Sun is highest in the South, on the Summer Solstice, the Sun is highest in the North.

Determining the date of the winter solstice is very important. Actually, in Vietnam, the winter solstice is not special, but it is an important day for many countries in the world.

For Chinese

Because Dongzhi is determined according to ancient Chinese culture, it has great significance for the people of this country and the ethnic groups influenced by ancient Chinese culture. Because according to the Chinese point of view, Dongzhi is a very important factor for astronomers to determine the date of Lunar New Year as well as determine the leap month in the lunar calendar. Therefore, the meaning of Dongzhi is very important to the Chinese people.

Nowadays, Chinese people all over the world consider Dongzhi Festival as a special traditional festival of their nation. This is the time to hold very important rituals in traditional Chinese beliefs for thousands of years.

During this time, festivals and traditional customs are held, especially the custom of eating thang vien . This is the dish 'che troi nuoc' - a typical dish of the Chinese.

For countries around the world

Vietnamese tradition does not have any special activities on the Winter Solstice. However, the Winter Solstice is also a very bustling time in countries around the world. Festivals in many places around the world such as: Festivus, Kwanzaa, Yalda, Saturnalia, Hanukkah, and HumanLight . Especially the Yule Festival of Wicca. This is one of the eight Sabbat festivals of Neopagans in the world today.

• Norse, Tuton and Celtic Yule Festival : In the Norse, Tuton and Celtic countries, the winter solstice is the time of the Yule festival. This is an occasion when people honor gods such as Odin, Thor and Frey in a night of their peak hunting.
• Romanian Yalda Festival : Romanians celebrate the Yalda Festival on the Winter Solstice to celebrate the escape from darkness. During this festival, people often dress up as bears and participate in night parades.
• Ancient Roman Saturnalia: Saturnalia was an important part of ancient Roman culture. On this day, people honored the god of agriculture, Saturn, for providing them with food. It was a time to relax, have fun, and show gratitude.
• Christmas: is also a big holiday celebrated by many countries in the world, including Vietnam. In addition to the meaning of the winter solstice, according to Christianity, this is the day Jesus was born. Therefore, Christians take this festival very seriously.

Characteristics of the winter solstice

The winter solstice is known for its longest night of the year. However, only countries in the Northern Hemisphere experience longer nights than days, while countries in the Southern Hemisphere experience longer days than nights.

The Winter Solstice is the time when all living things conserve their energy and prepare for the growth and development period in spring. This is the coldest time of the year, so animals, plants and humans are in a state of contraction, with little contact with the outside environment. Many species operate in a latent state, waiting for the opportunity to act later.

During the winter solstice, the trade winds and oceanic air masses cause the weather to change a lot, with little heavy rain and sometimes very dry, and sometimes very uncomfortable dampness.

During the winter solstice, the trade winds and oceanic air masses will change the weather a lot . Although they do not cause much impact or rain, they cause humidity and dampness, making people uncomfortable.

Winter Solstice also marks the biggest change in weather in the year. Therefore, people need to prepare their health and rearrange their daily activities to adapt to these changes.

During the winter solstice, the harsh cold weather will be detrimental to people with respiratory and bone and joint diseases. During this time, you should supplement vitamin C to improve resistance and eat a balanced diet to supplement nutrition for the body.

The elderly and people with bone and joint diseases should use additional functional foods and foot massage to help blood circulation, sleep better and deeper.

In addition, at this time, families can use dehumidifiers and clothes dryers to avoid humidity and dampness.