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The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. Winter Solstice, the 22nd solar term of a year, begins on Dec 22 this year and ends on Jan 5 next year.
中国传统立法把一年分为二十四节气。冬至，一年中的第22个节气，始于12月22日，止于次年1月5日。
During Winter Solstice in North China, eating dumplings is essential to the festival. There is a saying that goes "Having dumplings on the first day of Winter Solstice and noodles on the first day of Summer Solstice."
在北方，吃饺子是冬至习俗中最重要的一环，民间也有“冬至饺子夏至面”的说法。
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.
冬至这天，太阳直射南回归线，北半球昼最短、夜最长。
From then on, the days become longer and the nights become shorter. The Winter Solstice also marks the arrival of the coldest season of a year.
冬至过后，北半球白天逐渐变长，夜晚则逐渐变短。从冬至这天开始，“数九寒天”将正式开始，意味着一年中最寒冷的时节到了。（杨佳欣）