Why pay tribute to the grave on the winter solstice?

Go to the cemetery on the solstice to pay homage and pray for good weather and happy family in the coming year.

Many places in southern China will celebrate the winter solstice. The southern coastal areas, such as western Guangdong, Chaoshan and parts of Zhejiang, continue the traditional custom of ancestor worship. Every household is dedicated to ancestor statues, memorial tablets, etc. Go to the hall at home, place an altar, set up incense burners, offerings, etc. In some places, while offering sacrifices to ancestors, they also offer sacrifices to gods, land gods and deities, so as to make the next year's weather favorable and the family prosperous.

As early as the fifth year of Emperor Ding Yuan of the Han Dynasty, there was a custom of offering sacrifices to heaven in winter solstice, which was gradually institutionalized in later generations. The ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven is usually presided over by the "Emperor of Heaven", which reflects China people's reverence for nature and expresses their desire to pray for good weather in the world.

The solstice in winter symbolizes the rise of cathode and the growth of everything. This "ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven" symbolizes the revival of the country and the joy of the people. It is also helpful for more people to understand ancient sacrificial ceremonies, pay attention to traditional cultural festivals, protect history and show human nature.

Other customs to expand the information of winter solstice.

Cantonese people eat barbecue and ginger rice on the solstice in winter. On this day, most Cantonese people have the custom of "adding vegetables" to eat meat on the solstice in winter. In Chaoshan area, there is a folk saying that "Winter Festival Pills, once eaten, celebrate the New Year", commonly known as "Adding New Year". Hakkas believe that the taste of water is the most mellow in winter solstice, so it has become a custom for Hakkas to make wine in winter solstice.

People in Hangzhou eat rice cakes on the solstice in winter. From the late Ming and early Qing dynasties to the present, people in Hangzhou like to eat rice cakes on the solstice in winter. In winter solstice, you can cook rice cakes with different flavors, eat rice cakes in winter solstice and get old, which is auspicious. In Sichuan, it is the solstice to eat mutton soup in winter, and mutton is the first tonic in winter. In the area around the two lakes, red beans and glutinous rice must be eaten on the solstice in winter.

In some areas in the south, it is more popular to have a family reunion dinner on the winter solstice, which means reunion. The winter solstice group is not only food for family members, but also a symbol of blessing for relatives and friends. In fact, eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter is a traditional custom in China, which is more common in Jiangnan. There is also a folk saying that "eating jiaozi is one year older".

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia-Winter solstice