For people in North China, eating dumplings is an essential part of celebrating the Winter Solstice Festival.

Many Shanxi residents, young and old, cooked and ate dumplings on Dec 21, the first day of the Winter Solstice which will end on Jan 4.

In China, a year is divided into 24 solar terms according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. The Winter Solstice, the 22nd solar term in a year, marks the arrival of the coldest part of the year. On the first day of this solar term, the northern Hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night in a year because the sun shines directly at the Tropic of Capricorn.

China’s "24 solar terms" are derived from observation of the sun's annual movements and the climate changes during seasons, as well as through phenological study. On Nov 30, it was added to the world intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO.

A teacher introduces the folk custom of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice Festival to children at Chengnan Kindergarten in Yuanqu county, south Shanxi province, on Dec 20. This year's Winter Solstice Festival fell on Dec 21. [Photo/sxrb.com]