Winter Solstice
Published on Nov 19, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
冬至: Background
- 冬 (winter) 至 (arrival)
- 每年是十二月二十一日or十二月二十二日左右
- day of the year when sunshine is weakest and daylight is shortest
- the day when everyone becomes one year older
- time to celebrate harvests and relax until the next spring
It literally means "the Arrival of Winter"
It is celebrated by chinese, singaporeans, japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese during the 11th Lunar month
It is time to celebrate harvests and relax until the next spring
It is celebrated by chinese, singaporeans, japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese during the 11th Lunar month
It is time to celebrate harvests and relax until the next spring
Photo by Xiyeimages
Origin
- Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty adopted Dongzhi
- Not based on Chinese lunar calendar
- Based on the Chinese concept of yin and yang
- On 冬至 the qualities of cold and dark are strongest
- After the celebration, the yang qualities of light and warmth roll back
Emperor Wu adopted the Winter Solstice as a separate festival from New Year Day.
The origins of the festival is traced back to the philosophy of yin and yang.Yin and Yang represent balance and harmony in life. It is believed that Yin, the qualities of darkness and cold, is most powerful on the shortest daylight of the year, dong zhi, but after this day, it gives way to the light and warmth of yang. Therefore it is a time for optimism because it marks an increase of positive energy flow.
The origins of the festival is traced back to the philosophy of yin and yang.Yin and Yang represent balance and harmony in life. It is believed that Yin, the qualities of darkness and cold, is most powerful on the shortest daylight of the year, dong zhi, but after this day, it gives way to the light and warmth of yang. Therefore it is a time for optimism because it marks an increase of positive energy flow.
Photo by Viewmaker
Celebration Activities
- Dongzhi is a time for the family to get together to have a gramd meals
- orignally celebrated as an end of harvest festival
- now, families worship their ancestors at temples
- In Northern China, people eat dumpling soup to keep them from frost
- In Southern China, people eat tangyuan which symbolize reunion
On Dongzhi, families will gather at temples to worship their deceased ancestors. Back in the Han dynasty, the emperors would go to the temple to worship the heaven. After worshiping, everybody gets together to have a grand dinner.
Dongzhi is the second most important festival in Chinese culture where Chinese New Year is the first.
In Southern China, there is a much bigger celebration than Northern China.
Photo by Mystic Lens
汤圆
Tāngyuán
tangyuan - a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour
Photo by Charles Haynes
饺子
Jiǎozi
Jiaozi- Chinese dumplings in soup. They are usually filled with meat and vegetables. Jiaozi is one of the most popular foods eaten in Northern China. Southern Chinese rely more on rice.
Photo by KFoodaddict
Legendary Tale
- Masters of the Winter Solstice
- http://vocaroo.com/i/s19dcksPAJGb
- In summary, here is a review of 冬至
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhllIImmBLU
http://anthro.ucsd.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/dkjordan/chopera.pl?taleid=Story216
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhllIImmBLU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhllIImmBLU
Photo by Kvasir79
Untitled Slide
Classical CHinese Gardens
Photo by melaniedornier.photoshelter.com
Design of 中国花园
- It is constructed to recreate larger natural landscapes
- It has pavillion, bridges, rock garden, plants, trees, flowers, ponds
- It is enclosed by a white wall and some have winding paths
- Series of perfectly framed scenes are set up throughout the garden
- Some gardens may have borrowed scenery
As you walk through the garden, you cannot see the entire garden all at once. Instead, small scenes are set up so that visitors should walk through in a particular order that the garden was laid out.
A typical Chinese garden is enclosed by walls and includes one or more ponds, rock art, trees, flowers, and an assortment of pavilions within the garden all connected by winding paths.
A classical Zhōngguó huāyuán is set up so that there is series of perfectly composed and framed glimpses of scenery in a certain order.
Some gardens are designed to include borrowed scenes. For example, mountain peaks.
Photo by Alex Williams
roCK Garden
- It is the art of the garden
- limestone rocks that have strange shapes are most valuable
- It symbolize the dwellings of Taoist immortals.
- It symbolizes the skeletons of Chinese civilization
The limestone rocks is also considered the most precious stone in a 中国花园.
Rocks were sometimes used to mirror mountains.
Rocks were sometimes used to mirror mountains.
Photo by RavenFire
水
- Water is considered to be the central component of a Chinese garden.
- Water ponds symbolize communication and dreams
- Water symbolizes both life and the feminine principle of the universe (yin)
- Rock and water are opposites: the water is yin, the rock yang.
Photo by guitara
Plants, flowers and Trees
- They represent nature and contrast with the architecture structures
- flowers set the atmosphere of the gardens
- The rain on the banana leaves or the wind in the bamboo provide sounds
- Plants are chosen depending on their texture, color, shape and fragrance
- The pine, cypress, plum, lotus and bamboo are the most popular ones
Certain plants were favored for Chinese gardens because of their association with overcoming the limitations of ordinary life. The pine, cypress, plum and bamboo are favorites because of their ability to grow in harsh weather conditions and rough terrain.
They represent nature in its most vivid form, and contrast with the straight lines of the architecture and the sharp edges and immobility of the rocks.
The flowers change continually with the seasons, and provide both sounds, the sound of rain on banana leaves or the wind in the bamboo, and pleasing scents to the visitor.
They represent nature in its most vivid form, and contrast with the straight lines of the architecture and the sharp edges and immobility of the rocks.
The flowers change continually with the seasons, and provide both sounds, the sound of rain on banana leaves or the wind in the bamboo, and pleasing scents to the visitor.
Photo by Stefan Karpiniec
Architecture
- temples, bridges, galleries, towers, connecting hallway and pavillion
- smaller pavillions are for resting or shelter from rain or sun
- courtyards are smaller enclosed court for drinking tea, painting
- Bridges are another common feature of the Chinese garden.
- The garden structures are not designed to dominate but to harmonize
the garden is filled with smaller pavilions, (also called ting) which are designed for providing shelter from the sun or rain, admiring the scenery, reciting a poem, or simply resting.
Gardens also contain small enclosed court courtyards (yuan), offering quiet and solitude for meditation, painting, drinking tea, or playing on the cihare.
Gardens also contain small enclosed court courtyards (yuan), offering quiet and solitude for meditation, painting, drinking tea, or playing on the cihare.
Photo by symulae
Why a garden?
- It was used for banquets, celebrations, reunions, or romance
- A place for drinking tea and for poets to become happily drunk on wine
- A place for government officials to escape from pressure and corruption
- A spiritual haven for painting, poetry, calligraphy and music
- Taoism had a strong influence on the garden - harmony between man & nature
gardens were frequently constructed as retreats for government officials who wanted to escape the pressures and corruption of court life in the capital. They chose to pursue the Taoist ideals of disengagement from worldly concerns.
For centuries, Chinese gardens have displayed a delicate balance between the forces of nature and man’s creations. These luxurious gardens provide a spiritual haven from man's worries.
It was a calm place for painting, poetry, calligraphy, and music, and for studying classic texts and poems.
For centuries, Chinese gardens have displayed a delicate balance between the forces of nature and man’s creations. These luxurious gardens provide a spiritual haven from man's worries.
It was a calm place for painting, poetry, calligraphy, and music, and for studying classic texts and poems.
Photo by peter hindmarsh
