The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms.[1] Dōngzhì, Tōji, Dongji, Tunji (in Okinawan), or Đông chí (in Vietnamese) is the 22nd solar term, and marks the winter solstice. The term begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 270° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 285°[disputed ]. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around 21 December (22 December East Asia time) and ends around 5 January.

Dongzhi
Chinese name
Chinese冬至
Literal meaningwinter's extreme
(i.e. winter solstice)
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetđông chí
Chữ Hán冬至
Korean name
Hangul동지
Hanja冬至
Japanese name
Kanji冬至
Hiraganaとうじ

In common usage, Dongzhi more often refers to the particular day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 270°.

Along with equinoxes, solstices (traditional Chinese: 至點; simplified Chinese: 至日; "extreme day") mark the middle of Traditional Chinese calendar seasons. Thus, in "冬至", the Chinese character "" means "extreme", which implies "solstices", and therefore the term for the winter solstice directly signifies the summit of winter, as "midwinter" is used in English.

Culture edit

China edit

 
Sunlight directed through the 17 arches of Seventeen Arch Bridge, Summer Palace, Beijing around winter solstice

In China, Dongzhi was originally celebrated as an end-of-harvest festival. Today, it is observed with a family reunion over the long night. In southern China, pink and white tangyuan are eaten in sweet broth to symbolise family unity and prosperity, whereas in northern China, the traditional Dongzhi food is jiaozi.[citation needed]

Korea edit

In Korea, the winter solstice is also called the "Small Seol," and there is a custom of celebrating the day. People make porridge with red beans known as patjuk (팥죽) and round rice cakes (새알심 saealsim) with sticky rice. In the past, red bean porridge soup was sprayed on walls or doors because it was said to ward off bad ghosts. In addition, there was a custom in the early days of the Goryeo and Joseon Period in which people in financial difficulty settled all their debts and enjoyed the day.[2]

Japan edit

In Japan, the name of the solar term is Tōji. On this day, it is customary to drink grapefruit hot water and eat pumpkin in certain places. White flowers begin to bloom around the winter solstice.[citation needed]

Pentads edit

Each solar term is divided into three pentads which are typically named after seasonal natural events. The pentads during Dongzhi are:[citation needed]

  • 蚯蚓結, 'Earthworms form knots', referring to the hibernation of earthworms.
  • 麋角解, 'Deer shed their antlers'
  • 水泉動, 'Spring water moves'

Date and time edit

Solar term
Term Longitude Dates
Lichun 315° 4–5 February
Yushui 330° 18–19 February
Jingzhe 345° 5–6 March
Chunfen 20–21 March
Qingming 15° 4–5 April
Guyu 30° 20–21 April
Lixia 45° 5–6 May
Xiaoman 60° 21–22 May
Mangzhong 75° 5–6 June
Xiazhi 90° 21–22 June
Xiaoshu 105° 7–8 July
Dashu 120° 22–23 July
Liqiu 135° 7–8 August
Chushu 150° 23–24 August
Bailu 165° 7–8 September
Qiufen 180° 23–24 September
Hanlu 195° 8–9 October
Shuangjiang 210° 23–24 October
Lidong 225° 7–8 November
Xiaoxue 240° 22–23 November
Daxue 255° 7–8 December
Dongzhi 270° 21–22 December
Xiaohan 285° 5–6 January
Dahan 300° 20–21 January
Date and Time (UTC)
year begin end
辛巳 2001-12-21 19:21 2002-01-05 12:43
壬午 2002-12-22 01:14 2003-01-05 18:27
癸未 2003-12-22 07:03 2004-01-06 00:18
甲申 2004-12-21 12:41 2005-01-05 06:03
乙酉 2005-12-21 18:34 2006-01-05 11:46
丙戌 2006-12-22 00:22 2007-01-05 17:40
丁亥 2007-12-22 06:07 2008-01-05 23:24
戊子 2008-12-21 12:03 2009-01-05 05:14
己丑 2009-12-21 17:46 2010-01-05 11:08
庚寅 2010-12-21 23:38 2011-01-05 16:54
辛卯 2011-12-22 05:30 2012-01-05 22:43
壬辰 2012-12-21 11:11 2013-01-05 04:33
癸巳 2013-12-21 17:11 2014-01-05 10:24
甲午 2014-12-21 23:03 2015-01-05 16:20
乙未 2015-12-22 04:45 2016-01-05 22:09
丙申 2016-12-21 10:43 2017-01-05 03:54
丁酉 2017-12-21 16:29 2018-01-05 09:47
戊戌 2018-12-21 22:23 2019-01-05 15:41
己亥 2019-12-22 04:17 2020-01-05 21:31
庚子 2020-12-21 10:01 2021-01-05 03:22
辛丑 2021-12-21 15:59 2022-01-05 9:14
壬寅 2022-12-21 21:48 2023-01-05 15:05
癸卯 2023-12-22 3:27 2024-01-05 20:49
甲辰 2024-12-21 9:21 2025-01-05 02:33
Source: JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System
Source for 2021-24: Hong Kong Observatory[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Zhang, Peiyu; Hunag, Hongfeng( (1994). "The Twenty-four Solar Terms of the Chinese Calendar and the Calculation for Them". Purple Mountain Observatory. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  2. ^ "동지". terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Date and Time of the 24 Solar Terms". Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
Preceded by
Daxue (大雪)
Solar term (節氣) Succeeded by
Xiaohan (小寒)