China Cultural Center in Copenhagen

(ENG) Lidong or The Beginning of Winter is the 19th of 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar and is also one of the traditional Chinese festivals. Beginning, as it suggests, means the winter begins from then on. “Dong” (winter in Chinese) indicates the “end”, meaning that crops need to be collected after the harvest. Hence, Lidong is seen as the arrival of winter. The Beginning of Winter usually falls on November 7 or 8, but this year it falls on November 7.

At this time, the temperature has fallen in most parts of China and the cold wave has also arrived. In the Beginning of Winter, the amount of solar radiation received in the northern hemisphere is getting less and less. Because there is still a certain amount of heat stored on the surface during the summer half year, so it is generally not too cold. When it is sunny and windless, the weather is relatively warm and comfortable, which is very beneficial to the growth of winter crops at this time.The customs of Lidong include welcoming the winter, celebrating the winter, nourishing the winter, eating dumplings and so on.

(DAN) Lidong eller Vinterstart er den 19. soltermin i de 24 solterminer i den kinesiske mĂ„nekalender, og er ogsĂ„ en af ​​de traditionelle kinesiske festivaler. ”Li” (betyder start pĂ„ kinesisk), som det antydes, betyder, at vinteren begynder fra den dag af. “Dong” (betyder vinter pĂ„ kinesisk) angiver “slutningen”, og betyder at afgrĂžder skal samles efter hĂžsten. Derfor ses Lidong som vinterens ankomst. Vinterstart falder normalt den 7. eller 8. november. I Ă„r starter den 7. november.

PĂ„ dette tidspunkt er temperaturen faldet i de fleste dele af Kina, og koldbĂžlgen er ogsĂ„ ankommet. Under Vinterstart bliver mĂŠngden af ​​solstrĂ„lerne, der modtages pĂ„ den nordlige halvkugle, mindre og mindre. Da der stadig er en vis mĂŠngde varme lagret pĂ„ overfladen i lĂžbet af sommerhalvĂ„ret, er der generelt ikke alt for koldt. NĂ„r det er solrigt og vindstille, er vejret relativt varmt og behageligt, hvilket er meget gavnligt for vĂŠksten af ​​vinterafgrĂžder pĂ„ dette tidspunkt. Vinterstarts skikke inkluderer at byde vinteren velkommen, fejre vinteren, nĂŠrende vinter, spise dumplings og sĂ„ videre.

Welcoming the Winter

Byde Vinteren Velkommen

(ENG) Beginnings of winter, spring, summer and autumn are known as the “Four Beginnings” The four beginnings of the seasons were important festivals in ancient times. Before the Start of Winter, the ancient emperor would take a shower and have no more meat. On that day, the emperor would lead his officials to the suburbs and perform the ceremony of “welcoming the winter.” In nowadays, to celebrate the festival, some people choose to have swimming competitions in the icy rivers found in bitterly cold places like Harbin in Heilongjiang Province.

(DAN) Begyndelsen af ​​vinteren, forĂ„ret, sommeren og efterĂ„ret er kendt som de ”fire begyndelser”. De fire start af Ă„rstiderne var vigtige festivaler i oldtiden. Inden Vinterstart ville den gamle kejser tage et bad og vil ikke lĂŠngere have mere kĂžd. Den dag fĂžrte kejseren sine embedsmĂŠnd til forstĂŠderne og udfĂžrte ceremonien om at ”Byde Vinteren Velkommen”. I dag fejrer nogle festivalen med at deltage i svĂžmmekonkurrencer i de iskolde floder, der findes pĂ„ bittert kolde steder som Harbin i Heilongjiang-provinsen.

Celebrating the Winter

At Fejrer Vinter

(ENG) Lidong, as one of the important solar terms of the “Four Li”, is one of the seasonal nodes that China attaches great importance to, and it is also a time to enjoy a bumper harvest and recuperation. Through the recuperation in winter, we look forward to the prosperity and auspiciousness of the coming year. Lidong is not only the first season of winter, it is also celebrated as an important festival in many parts of China. Lidong was one of the “four seasons and eight solar terms” in ancient society, and people generally held sacrificial activities. Lidong is a major festival in October. In China, there are customs such as ancestor worship, banquets, and so on. The sacrifices are offered to ancestors with seasonal products, so as to fulfill the obligations and responsibilities of one’s descendants.

(DAN) Lidong, som en af ​​de vigtige solterminer i de ”Fire Li”, er en af ​​de sĂŠsonbestemte knudepunkter, som Kina lĂŠgger stor vĂŠgt pĂ„, og er ogsĂ„ en tid hvor man nyder kofanger hĂžst og helbredelse. Gennem helbredelsen om vinteren ser vi frem til det kommende Ă„rs velstand og lykkefĂžlelse. Lidong er ikke kun vinterens fĂžrste soltermin, den fejres ogsĂ„ som en vigtig festival i mange dele af Kina. Lidong var en af ​​de ”fire Ă„rstider og otte solterminer” i det gamle Kina, og folk holdte generelt ofringer. Lidong er altsĂ„ en stor festival i oktober. I Kina er der skikke som tilbedelse af forfĂŠdre, banketter osv. SĂŠsonbetonede produkter bliver ofret til forfĂŠdrene for at opfylde forpligtelser og ansvaret for ens efterkommere.

Nourishing the Winter

NĂŠrende Vinter

(ENG) On the first day of Start of Winter, there is a custom, “nourishing the winter”, especially in Southeast China in places such as Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan provinces. To prepare for the oncoming cold winter, people there like to eat high-energy food such as chicken, duck, fish and other meats, which are usually stewed with the Chinese medicines to enhance the effectiveness of the nourishment. In north China, especially in Beijing and Tianjin, people would like to have Jiaozi (Dumplings), signifying the change of seasons. According to tradition, people begin to eat more high-calorie food like beef, lamb, fish and so on. Of course, fresh vegetables, tofu and food containing vitamins are still necessary.

(DAN) PĂ„ den fĂžrste dag i Lidong er der en skik, ”NĂŠrende vinter”, isĂŠr i det sydĂžstlige Kina, steder som Fujian, Guangdong og Taiwan. For at forberede sig pĂ„ den kommende kolde vinter spiser folk gerne mad med hĂžjt nĂŠringsindhold som kylling, and, fisk og andre kĂžd, som normalt stuves med kinesiske lĂŠgemidler for at forbedre nĂŠringens effektiviteten. I det nordlige Kina, isĂŠr i Beijing og Tianjin, vil folk foretrĂŠkke Jiaozi (Dumplings), som betegner Ă„rstidsĂŠndring. IfĂžlge traditionen begynder folk at spise mere mad med hĂžjt kalorieindhold som oksekĂžd, lam, fisk og sĂ„ videre. Naturligvis er friske grĂžntsager, tofu og mad, der indeholder vitaminer, stadig nĂždvendige.

Eating dumplings

Spise Dumplings

(ENG) Why do people eat dumplings during ‘Beginning of Winter’? It is said this custom is to commemorate the great medical sage Zhang Zhongjing. A legend that dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, the “Medical Saint” Zhang Zhongjing saw the poor suffering from the chilblains on their ears, so he had special dumplings stuffed with herbs and other ingredients made for them to help expel the cold. Since the dumplings are shaped like ears, he named them “Jiaoer.” From that time on, the tradition of eating Jiaozi (meaning dumplings) on ‘Beginning of Winter’ began. On the day of ‘Beginning of Winter’, all kinds of dumplings are very popular.

(DAN) Hvorfor spiser folk dumplings under Lidong? Det siges, at denne skik er at fejre den store medicinske vismand Zhang Zhongjing. En legende, der gĂ„r tilbage til det Ăžstlige Han-dynasti. Den ”medicinske hellige” Zhang Zhongjing sĂ„ de fattige, der led af chilblains pĂ„ deres Ăžrer. Han fik specielle dumplings fyldt med urter og andre ingredienser lavet til dem for at hjĂŠlpe dem med at fjerne kulden. Da dumplings er formet som Ăžrer, kaldte han dem ”Jiaoer”. Fra den dag begyndte traditionen med at spise Jiaozi (der betyder dumplings) under Lidong. Den dag, hvor vinteren begynder, er alle former for dumplings meget populĂŠre.

Watch the video about “The Beginning of Winter”: https://youtu.be/yuQimqwSUHs