Winter Solstice, the 22nd solar term of the year, begins on Dec 22 and ends on Jan 5.
On the first day of Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night in the year, as the sun shines directly at the Tropic of Capricorn. From then on, the days become longer and the nights become shorter.
The Winter Solstice marks the arrival of the coldest season in the year.
A saying goes, "The Winter Solstice is as significant as the Spring Festival."
In North China, eating dumplings is essential to the festival, while in places such as Shanghai, people eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour, to celebrate Winter Solstice.
