The winter solstice (Winter Solstice), is one of the most important solar term Chinese lunar calendar, is a traditional Chinese festival, the winter solstice known as "winter festival", "long to day", "sub" etc..

As early as in the spring and Autumn period more than 2 thousand and 500 years ago, Chinese had to observe the sun with tugui, determination of the winter solstice, it is one of the twenty-four solar term worked out in the first time, in the Gregorian calendar year December 21st to 23.

The winter solstice, the sun reaches the ground position at the tip of the year, almost direct tropic (latitude 23 degrees 26'). This day the northern hemisphere gets sunshine at least 50% less than in the southern hemisphere. The days of the northern hemisphere reach the shortest, and the shorter the days go northward. After the winter solstice, the night sky stars completely changed into winter stars, and from today on into the nine". And this time the southern hemisphere is hot summer.

More common is that in northern China there is the winter solstice eating dumplings custom. As the saying goes: "the winter solstice to eat Boiled dumplings." While the south is eating Glutinous Rice Balls, of course there are exceptions, such as Tengzhou, Qufu, Zoucheng in Shandong, the most popular winter solstice habit called, the day drink mutton soup custom, meaning dispelling cold italy. Around the food is different, but the most common Boiled dumplings to eat.