Winter Solstice 冬至

What it marks

The longest night — and, in the almanac's logic, the year's true low point and therefore its turning point. Yang is reborn here. It has historically been treated as more important than New Year in parts of China, and families still gather for tangyuan 湯圓.

Traditionally favours

• family reunion
• quiet beginnings
• setting intentions
• ancestor rites

The single most significant term after 立春. A traditional moment to set intentions, precisely because the light is returning.

These are the tradition’s tendencies, not guarantees — and a solar term describes a stretch of weeks, so for a specific day check today’s almanac, which reads the day’s own 宜 and 忌.