Pyongyang, December 22 (KCNA) -- Today is the winter solstice.

From olden times the Korean people have called November in the Lunar calendar the 11th lunar month and the day with the longest nighttime and the shortest daytime in the month the winter solstice.

And they have considered the winter solstice as the beginning of the year as the daytime starts to get longer after it.

Ancient books such as Samguksagi (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms) written in 1145 and the history of Koryo Dynasty in 1451 suggest that the winter solstice, one of the 24 seasonal divisions, had been celebrated as the traditional folk holiday in Korea from long ago.

The winter solstice is famous for the peculiar dish adzuki-bean gruel taken on the day. The Korean people had recollected the outgoing year and promoted harmony with neighbors taking the gruel on the winter solstice.

The adzuki-bean gruel is made by boiling adzuki-bean well and adding rice and much water to boil again. The gruel with small round lumps made of glutinous rice flour was a special dish for the season as it was nutritious and easy of digestion.

Chairman Kim Jong Il, who valued the beautiful manners and customs peculiar to our people, informed the officials on several occasions of the customs on the winter solstice and the method of making adzuki-bean gruel and led them to preserve the folk traditions including the customs on adzuki-bean gruel taken on the winter solstice. He also took measures to supply raw materials to the restaurants so that they can serve adzuki-bean gruel on the winter solstice.

The customs on adzuki-bean gruel taken on the winter solstice, which are still carried on by the people, was registered as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2016. -0-