What is the custom of eating during the Winter Solstice?

1. Cook glutinous rice balls

Eating glutinous rice balls during the winter solstice is especially popular in Jiangnan. "Tangyuan" is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Yuan" means "reunion" and "completeness". Eating glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice is also called "Winter Solstice Tuan". There is a saying among the people that "eating glutinous rice balls makes you one year older". The Winter Solstice group can be used to worship ancestors, and can also be used to exchange gifts with relatives and friends. In the old days, Shanghainese were most particular about eating glutinous rice balls.

2. Winemaking

Traditional Gusu people drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice. Winter wine is a kind of rice wine brewed with osmanthus and has a pleasant aroma. People in Suzhou drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice, and also serve it with various braised dishes such as braised beef and braised mutton.

3. Nine-layer cake to worship ancestors

In Taiwan, the tradition of using nine-layer cake to worship ancestors during the Winter Solstice is still preserved. People with the same surname and the same clan gather in the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors in order of eldest and youngest at the winter solstice or an early date agreed before or after, commonly known as "ancestral worship". After the ceremony, a grand banquet will be held to entertain the clan members who come to worship their ancestors. Everyone drinks happily and connects with each other after long separation, which is called "eating ancestors".

Extended information

Traditional customs of the Winter Solstice:

1. Apprenticeship: The Winter Solstice is in a sense the traditional Chinese Teachers' Day. Teacher Zuo told reporters that there were many private schools in ancient times, and China has always respected teachers. On the day of the ancient winter solstice, students would specially pay homage to their teachers and give some gifts to their teachers.

2. Sacrifice: On the day of the winter solstice in ancient times, the emperor would hold a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven.

3. Nine-nine to relieve the cold: a folk entertainment game. Literati painted eighty-one plum blossoms and dyed them with a red pen every day. After ninety-nine and eighty days, the plum blossom painting was completed, which was the beginning of spring. hour. There are also crossword puzzles, with nine words each drawn in nine strokes, one stroke each day. When all are completed, spring comes. For example, the commonly used nine words "Weeping willows in front of the court cherish the spring breeze."

4. Measure the sun’s shadow: At noon on the winter solstice, place a long pole under the sun and measure the shadow cast by it. The measured sun’s shadow at this time is the longest in the year. On the summer solstice, the sun's shadow is the shortest.

5. Jiaguan soot blowing: use a pipe, glass pipes began to be used in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and put the burned reeds into ashes. On the winter solstice, if you observe carefully, the ashes will float out gently.

People's Daily Online - Winter Solstice customs in the north and south: Every household in the north eats dumplings and Jiangnan boils glutinous rice balls, which means "group"

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