Around this time of the year, there is one very important day for Chinese families around the world, not unlike Thanksgiving in North America.<\/p>\n
The winter solstice \u2013 dung zi<\/em> in Cantonese, dongzhi<\/em> in Mandarin \u2013 marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n The 24 solar terms, which form a Chinese lunisolar calendar, refer to specific points in the Earth\u2019s orbit around the sun. To this day, these markers on the sun\u2019s position and its effects on weather \u2013 which you can also find in the Chinese almanac, a divination guide \u2013 have a huge influence on people and their activities, from florists to farmers to practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.<\/p>\n This interpretation of the solar terms is specific to the northern hemisphere, as the seasons are inverted in the southern hemisphere.<\/p>\n The winter solstice was one of the first dates determined among the 24 solar terms. In ancient times, it helped a mostly agrarian society keep tabs on seasonal changes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2025\/12\/18\/3badb4e8-2857-497d-8044-f413a6a8bf0e_89bc71d9.jpg\" "\\"People")
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