Winter Solstice Folk Customs

Customs of Winter Solstice Introduction to Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice, also known as 'Yi Yang Sheng', is an important solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar and a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. Winter Solstice is commonly known as "Winter Festival", "Long Solstice Festival", "Yasui", etc. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period more than 2,500 years ago, China had already used Tugui to observe the sun and determine the winter solstice. It is the earliest one of the twenty-four solar terms to be formulated, and the time is from December 21 to 23 of the Gregorian calendar every year. between days.

Historical Origin

According to records, in the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, November in winter was the first month, and the winter solstice was the beginning of the new year. "The Book of Han" says: "The Yang Qi rises during the winter solstice, and the king and Taoist minister congratulate you..." In other words, people start celebrating the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival of the new year. The ancients believed that starting from the winter solstice, the yang energy of heaven and earth begins to rise and strengthen, which represents the beginning of the next cycle and an auspicious day. Therefore, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners during the Spring Festival were often held during the Winter Solstice. The winter solstice is also called the "small year". First, it means that the new year is approaching and there are not many days left; second, it means the importance of the winter solstice.

The winter solstice as a festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and is still used today. The first month of the Zhou calendar is the eleventh month of the summer calendar. Therefore, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to the eleventh month of the current Gregorian calendar. Therefore, there is no difference between greeting the new year and greeting the winter. It was not until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the lunar calendar that the first month and the winter solstice were separated. It can also be said that simply celebrating the "Winter Solstice Festival" only existed after the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and is still used today.

Winter Solstice Customs

The two most common customs on the Winter Solstice in my country are:

1. The family gathers together for a reunion dinner, usually including local Eating dumplings, the most distinctive Winter Solstice ingredient, has become a Winter Solstice custom for most Chinese people.

2. Sacrifice activities. Many families will visit the grave on this day or the day before. Those who are unable to return to their hometown will make a small offering table at home and place some dumplings, wine, fruits, etc. to pay homage.

Of course, after thousands of years of development, the Winter Solstice has formed a unique seasonal food culture. Different regions also have some special customs. Here are just a few:

North

On the winter solstice of the lunar calendar every year, dumplings are an indispensable holiday meal for rich and poor alike. With the development of China's transportation, work migration, north-south exchanges, etc., eating dumplings has now spread to many areas in the south.

Tengzhou, Shandong

The custom of eating mutton during the winter solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. This day is called Fujiu. Before the festival, gifts such as mutton will be given to the elders. Every family will drink mutton soup on Fujiu, which is a good sign for the individual, the elders and the family.

Jiangnan Water Town

There is a custom of the whole family gathering together to eat red beans and glutinous rice on the night of the winter solstice.

Ningbo

In Ningbo’s traditional customs, sweet potato soup is one of the must-eat delicacies during the winter solstice. In the understanding of Ningbo people, eating sweet potatoes during the winter solstice is to "overturn" all the bad luck in the past year.

Taiwan

Taiwan, our country, still preserves the tradition of using nine-layer cakes to worship ancestors during the Winter Solstice.

Taizhou and Linhai

Taizhou and Linhai eat "Winter Solstice Yuan" (leiyuan, also called hard and roughyuan) on this day. , meaning of reunion.

Suzhou

The Suzhou area attaches great importance to the winter solstice. There is a saying in the Suzhou area: "The winter solstice is like a new year." Traditional Gusu people drink Dongjiujiu on the night of the winter solstice. Dongjiujiu is a kind of rice wine brewed with sweet-scented osmanthus and has a pleasant aroma.

Jiangxi

Mochi is a specialty of Zhejiang and Jiangxi. It is also a traditional snack of Fujian people and an offering by Fujian people during sacrifices. It can be steamed, fried, grilled or stir-fried after drying.

Hefei

In Hefei, Anhui, people in Hefei eat pumpkin cakes and a bowl of hot egg noodles during the winter solstice to celebrate the winter solstice.

Chaoshan

After people in Chaoshan eat Winter Festival balls, they stick two Winter Festival balls on conspicuous places such as doors, windows, tables, cabinets, ladders, beds, etc. Round, even the bows of fishermen's boats, the horns of farmers' cattle, and the fruit trees planted by orchardists are no exception.

In order to keep the whole family safe.

Jiaxing

The Winter Solstice was a major festival in ancient times. Jiaxing emphasized the Winter Solstice. Folks advocated winter solstice tonics, such as red bean glutinous rice, ginseng soup, white fungus, walnut kernels stewed in wine, longan boiled eggs, etc. .

What are the customs of the Winter Solstice? Northern Customs

The Winter Solstice is an important folk festival in Shanxi in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the "Winter" Festival.

During the Yin and Zhou dynasties, the day before the winter solstice was designated as the end of the year. The Winter Solstice Festival is essentially equivalent to today’s Spring Festival. Later the lunar calendar was implemented. But the winter solstice has always been ranked first among the twenty-four solar terms. There is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year", which is called "sub-year". Since the Han Dynasty, celebration ceremonies have been held. During the peak period, the court took a three-day vacation and the king did not listen to the government. The people took a break from the city for three days to celebrate the festival. Its liveliness is no less than the Chinese New Year.

Today's Winter Solstice Festival still retains many historical relics. From the day of the winter solstice, nine cold days have entered. Folks still have the custom of painting "nine-nine pictures to relieve coldness" in various forms.

There is a painting of a branch of plum blossom, with ninety-nine and eighty-one flowers outlined in plain ink. Use a red pen or black pen to dye a petal every day, and the petals will come out nine-nine, which is called the nine-nine cold-relieving picture.

Some have horizontal and vertical ten drawings, making a nine-nine-nine-eighty-one square block chart. Apply one grid every day until the nine grids are full, which is called the Jiujiu Cold Eliminating Table.

Draw several hollow grids, select several words, and how many strokes each word must have. Write one stroke every day, and finally it becomes a sentence, such as "Look at the golden cypress peak bones in front of the pavilion and behind the house", which is called the Jiujiu cold-relieving sentence.

The most elegant thing is to make nine-body couplets. Each couplet has nine characters and each character has nine paintings. Each day, fill in one word in the upper and lower couplets. For example, the upper couplet reads "Spring springs weep and willows dye spring beauty"; the lower couplet reads "Autumn courtyard hangs autumn persimmons and autumn sends autumn fragrance", which is called Jiujiuxiao Winter couplets.

The specific form used by each family often depends on the owner's hobbies and cultural quality. There is still a folk saying about the nine-nine cold-relieving picture: "The sky is cloudy below and sunny above, with wind to the left and fog and snow in the center. The dots in the picture are pitch black, and there is grass outside the door."

During the Winter Solstice Festival, it is customary for people to give shoes as gifts, which has a very ancient origin. "Notes on Ancient and Modern China" says: "There were embroidered mandarin duck shoes in the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Zhao ordered him to visit his uncle and aunt on the winter solstice." Cao Zhi's "Winter Solstice Presentation of Socks and Shoes" also has the sentence "Welcome to the new year, and the long shoes are to celebrate." Later, the custom of giving shoes to aunts gradually changed to aunts giving shoes and hats to nephews. Mainly reflected in children. In the past, it was mainly hand embroidery. As gifts for men, hats are often made in the shape of tigers or dogs, and the embroideries on their shoes are also beasts. As gifts for girls, hats are often made in the shape of a phoenix, and shoes are often embroidered with flowers and birds. Most of the current supplies are purchased from Jikui, and the form follows the trend of the times. During festivals, adults always like to visit the house with their children in their arms and show off the shoes and hats presented by their aunts.

During the Winter Solstice Festival, boys in northern Shanxi are used to playing the game of Ganggang. Each holds a square stone piece as big as the palm of one's hand. One side stands it up, and the other side follows the prescribed set of movements, throwing and aiming in sequence. When you knock down the post erected by the opponent, continue going down. After failure, exchange throws with the opponent. The first to complete all procedures wins. Girls are used to playing shuttlecock in various forms. People often want to join in the fun and play.

During the Winter Solstice Festival, it is also an old custom for the school director to take the lead in hosting a banquet for teachers. The teacher will lead the students to worship the tablet of Confucius. Then the academic director will lead the students to pay homage to their teacher. There is a folk proverb in Shanxi that "teaches on the Winter Solstice", which refers to this custom of respecting teachers. To this day, people still have the custom of inviting teachers to dinner during the Winter Solstice Festival. In northwestern Shanxi, it is customary to entertain teachers with stewed mutton, which is very affectionate.

In the past, those who worked as domestic workers used to settle wages with their employers during the Winter Solstice Festival and prepare to go home. It is tradition for the owner to hold a banquet to entertain the employees and discuss matters for the next year. Today, some rural self-employed enterprises still retain this custom and hold banquets and drinks during the Winter Solstice Festival.

Southern Customs

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Many families use this night to make "Winter Solstice Circles" with glutinous rice flour, in order to distinguish them from those on the eve of the Spring Festival. The day before the Winter Festival is called "Tian Sui" or "Yasui", which means that the "Year" is not over yet, but everyone is already one year older.

Although the customs and sentiments of various parts of our country are different, they are generally the same. When making the Winter Solstice circle, we often pinch some small animals at the request of children, such as kittens, puppies, rabbits, tigers, etc.

The children are very happy every time. Before eating the Winter Solstice circle, a Winter Solstice circle must be glued on the door, window, table, cabinet, bed and lamp behind each other, which is called consuming shang. It cannot be grilled until it is sent to the stove. If there is a pregnant woman in the family at this time, her hair will be rounded during the winter solstice, and she will give birth to a boy, otherwise she will give birth to a girl. When eating the winter solstice round, you must eat it in pairs for good luck. If there are only two pills left in the meal, married people will have everything going well; if there is only one pill left, single people will have everything go smoothly. Some families use seasonal fruits and animals to worship gods and ancestors in the evening. Also on this day&q......>>

Pay attention to the customs of the Winter Solstice and simply write ■The Winter Solstice and the Spring Festival are the most important festivals of the year, so there are many taboos, such as: New Year's Day and New Year's Day Avoid eating porridge, eat dry rice...etc., what do you know? ■After the winter solstice of the twelfth lunar month, it enters the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the twelfth lunar month. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, you should eat Laba porridge. Laba porridge is made of glutinous rice, red beans, longan, dates, and chestnuts. , peanuts, hazelnuts, ginkgo, and pine nuts are mixed into sweet porridge. It is said that Laba porridge originated from India. After six years of asceticism, the Buddha Sakyamuni finally became enlightened and became a Buddha on the night of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Forgetting the suffering before his enlightenment, he ate it on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Making the last tooth (the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month) is a way of thanking the land god for blessing the believers’ crops and business success, so it will be more solemn than usual, and the bosses of each company will Employees will be rewarded at work, at home or in a restaurant as a token of appreciation for their hard work over the past year. Farewell to the Gods ("Farewell to the Gods" on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is also an important day when the Kitchen God and other gods, who used to observe people's words and deeds in the human world, return to heaven once a year to report the good and evil in the world to the Jade Emperor. ▲ Kitchen god porridge is made as a commemoration. The 16th day of the twelfth lunar month is the end of the year. On this day, businesses will entertain employees on that day. If the boss wants to fire an employee, he just needs to point the head of the white chopped chicken at the employee, and it will be tacitly understood. The special food on this day is "Guabao", which is sacrificed to the Kitchen God on the 23rd or 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Legend has it that the Kitchen God is sent from heaven. Those who come to live in each house will return to heaven at the end of the year to report the good and bad deeds of the family during the year, and the Emperor of Heaven will give good and bad fortune respectively. In order to make the Kitchen God say good things, people bribe him with rich sacrifices and stick his mouth to prevent them from letting go. He made a small report. ■On New Year's Eve, every family who traveled far away or separated from their families returned to their hometowns to celebrate the reunion night. The most important thing in the New Year's Eve dinner was a big fish, but it should not be eaten to symbolize the family reunion. "Every year has more than enough." After the New Year's Eve dinner, the eldest elder in the family sits in the main hall, and the younger ones pay New Year's greetings in turn. During the New Year greetings, New Year's money is given out. Usually, after the New Year's money is given out, people usually allow small money to be gambled. Regardless of whether they gamble money or not, they usually do so. We should stay up until twelve o'clock at night, and when the firecrackers are set off, the new year will officially begin. We should also go to a nearby famous temple at midnight to prepare for "grabbing the first incense". ■The opening time is determined according to the zodiac signs. When the time comes, firecrackers are set off, and sweets - red dates, winter melon, sugar, peanut candy and other candies are offered in front of the gods, and gold paper is burned to worship together. At dawn, spring couplets are posted on the door, candles and incense are burned, and tea is , sweet tea, peanut candy, honey ▲ ancestor worship tangerine, rice, fat, sweet, chicken, duck and fish as offerings, worship the ancestors of gods and Buddhas, set off firecrackers, the whole family worship together, this is the beginning of spring, also known as the beginning of spring. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, in addition to worshiping the gods and Buddhas at home, you can also go to the temple where you believe in to worship. In addition, the first day of the Lunar New Year is the beginning of the year. In order to have good luck, the family should not say unlucky words, rebuke, or preach. You are not allowed to use knives and forks, let alone destroy things. The whole family, men, women, old and young, all wear new clothes, or go to pay New Year greetings to relatives and friends, or go for an outing in the countryside, or participate in various games and gambling. Vegetable Soup and Sweet @ On the morning of the first day of junior high school, you should eat vegetarian dishes, neither eat meat nor cook them. Steam the food from the day before yesterday. Instead of drinking vegetable soup, you can only drink rock sugar tea. Taiwanese people think that if you drink vegetable soup, you will be better off when traveling. When there is heavy rain, some people live like this from the first to the third day of the Lunar New Year. They can only eat it on the second day of the Lunar New Year. The barley must be fried in a pot. There is a proverb in Taiwan: "Fry red, red, red." ”, meaning “poor”. □ Disposal of garbage at home. From the first to the fifth day of the lunar month, the garbage at home is not allowed to be thrown out. It must be kept together. This means taking out the things at home. Take the blessings from home away, so even the garbage should be kept at home. ■A daughter who gets married in the second year of junior high school can go back to her parents' home any day, but it is believed that returning to her parents' home in the first year of junior high school will lead to poverty, so she must wait until the second day of junior high school to return to her parents' home. .

Another theory is that returning to one's parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year is a rigid social norm. In the past, women's status was not high, and they were worried that after getting married, they would encounter an evil mother-in-law, who might not allow her to return home for the rest of her life. Therefore, this custom was established. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, a married woman, her husband and children bring some gifts back to her natal home to pay New Year greetings. After returning to her natal home, she first pays New Year greetings to her grandparents and parents, and then gives them red envelopes. These elders also give red envelopes to the grandchildren brought back by their daughters. . If there are younger siblings in the family, of course, red envelopes should be distributed. Therefore, every year on the second day of the first lunar month, my parents’ house is filled with joy and excitement. ■The third day of the lunar new year ▲Rat...>>

On the winter solstice, is it a northern folk custom to eat dumplings? What's the point? Winter Solstice, commonly known as Winter Festival, was a very grand festival in ancient times. Among the twenty-four solar terms, the winter solstice is also the most important. The winter solstice festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and is still used today. The winter solstice originated from the Chinese concept of yin and yang. Yin and Yang symbolize the balance and coordination of life. The Chinese believe that when the winter solstice comes, it is the time when the dark power and cold nature of "Yin" are strongest. At the same time, it is also an extremely important and critical moment, because " The brightness and warmth of "Yang" will gradually eliminate the extremely cold nature of "Yin". Therefore, the winter solstice is a joyful time of harmony and harmony. The ancients believed that at the winter solstice, although it was still a cold season, spring was not far away. At this time, people who go out have to go home for the winter festival, which means they have a destination at the end of the year. Folks in Fujian and Taiwan believe that the winter solstice is a festival for the whole family to reunite every year, because it is a day to worship ancestors. If you go out and do not go home, you will not recognize your ancestors. The date of the winter solstice is always on December 22 or 23 of the solar calendar every year; the date of the lunar calendar is not certain, but it usually does not exceed November of the lunar calendar. The winter solstice is called "short day" in "Yao Dian" of Shangshu. Because the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer on this day, the day is the shortest and the night is the longest in the northern hemisphere. After the winter solstice, the sunlight moves northward, the days become longer and the nights become shorter. The ancients said: "Winter Solstice generates Yang", which means that Yin Qi reaches its peak and declines at the Winter Solstice. On the contrary, Yang Qi begins to sprout from then on. The folk custom of Winter Solstice in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties stipulates that the day before the Winter Solstice is the end of the year, and the Winter Solstice Festival is essentially equivalent to today's Spring Festival. Later the lunar calendar was implemented. But the winter solstice has always been ranked first among the 24 solar terms. There is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year", which is called "sub-year". Since the Han Dynasty, celebration ceremonies have been held. During the peak period, the court took a three-day break and the emperor did not listen to the government; the people took a three-day break from the city to celebrate the festival. Its liveliness is no less than the Chinese New Year. The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Many people use this night to make Winter Solstice circles with glutinous rice flour. In order to distinguish it from the later Spring Festival eve, the day before the Winter Festival is called Tian Sui or Ya Sui, which means The New Year is not over yet, but everyone is already one year older. Although the customs and customs of different parts of the country are different, they are generally the same. When making the Winter Solstice circle, we often pinch some small animals at the request of children, such as kittens, puppies, rabbits, tigers, etc. The children are very happy every time. Before eating the Winter Solstice circle, a Winter Solstice circle must be glued on the door, window, table, cabinet, bed and lamp behind each other, which is called consuming shang. It cannot be grilled until it is sent to the stove. If there is a pregnant woman in the family at this time, her hair will be rounded during the winter solstice, and she will give birth to a boy, otherwise she will give birth to a girl. When eating the winter solstice round, you must eat it in pairs for good luck. If there are only two pills left in the meal, married people will have everything going well; if there is only one pill left, single people will have everything go smoothly. Some families use seasonal fruits and animals to worship gods and ancestors in the evening. There are also people who dry winter rice on this day, that is, the white rice is washed with water, exposed to the sun on this day, and then stored, leaving it for people who are sick to cook porridge in the future. Today's Winter Solstice Festival still retains many historical relics. From the day of the winter solstice, nine cold days have entered. Folks still have the custom of painting "nine-nine pictures to relieve coldness" in various forms. The "Nine-Nine Cold-repelling Picture" has three patterns, namely words, circles and plum blossoms. The specific form used by each family often depends on the owner's hobbies and cultural quality. There is also a folk proverb for the nine-nine cold-relieving picture: "The sky is cloudy at the bottom and clear at the top, with fog and snow on the left and right in the center; the dots in the picture are pitch black, and there is grass outside the door. On the Winter Solstice Festival, it is customary for people to give shoes as gifts. Its origin is very ancient. "Notes on Ancient and Modern China" says: "In the Han Dynasty, there were embroidered mandarin duck shoes, and Emperor Zhao ordered his uncle and aunt to visit them on the winter solstice. "Cao Zhi's "Winter Solstice Presentation of Socks and Shoes" also contains the sentence "The younger years welcome auspiciousness, and the longer the shoes are, the better." Later, the custom of gifting shoes to aunts gradually became the custom of aunts to give shoes and hats to nephews. Mainly reflected in children.

In the past, hand-embroidered gifts for men usually included hats in the shape of tigers and dogs, and embroidered beasts on their shoes. As gifts for girls, hats were often made in the shape of phoenixes, and the embroideries on their shoes were mostly flowers and birds. Nowadays, most of them are purchased from the market, and the form follows the trend of the times. During festivals, adults always like to visit the house with their children in their arms and show off the shoes and hats presented by their aunts. During the Winter Solstice Festival, boys in northern Shanxi are used to playing the game of Ganggang. Each holds a square stone piece the size of a palm, one side stands upright, and the other side completes the prescribed set... >>

What are the dietary customs of the Winter Solstice? What are the dietary customs of the Winter Solstice

Folklore activities

Nine-Nine Cold-repelling Pictures

The Winter Solstice Festival is also known as the Winter Festival and the Winter Festival. It is one of the twenty-four solar terms and a traditional festival in China. There was a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the New Year". The palace and the people have always attached great importance to it, and there have been sacrificial activities since the Zhou Dynasty.

"Zhou Li Chun Guan Shen Shi": "On the winter solstice, we send greetings to gods, humans and ghosts." The purpose is to pray for and eliminate epidemic diseases in the country, and reduce famine years and people's hunger and death. "Historical Records? The Benji of Xiaowu": "The next two years, the winter solstice on the first day of the first lunar month in November, the calendar is based on the original tradition. The emperor personally went to Mount Tai, worshiped the God Mingtang on the winter solstice day of the first lunar month in November, and practiced Zen every time "

"Book of Etiquette of the Later Han Dynasty": "Before and after the winter solstice, a gentleman should sit down and be quiet, and all officials should do their best. To celebrate.

In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice and the beginning of the year were equally important. "Tokyo Menghua Lu" written by Meng Yuanlao of the Southern Song Dynasty: "The winter solstice is November. The capital attaches great importance to this festival. Even the poorest people accumulate money and borrow money during the year. On this day, they change new clothes, prepare food and drink, and enjoy sacrifices to their ancestors. Official release "Guan Pu, celebrating exchanges, just like the New Year"

"Qing Jia Lu" bluntly said: "The Winter Solstice is as big as the New Year." *** Since ancient times, the Winter Solstice has required worshiping heaven and ancestors, but now only Chaoshan area in China. Continue this practice.

Traditional diet

The winter solstice is a great time to maintain health, mainly because "qi begins at the winter solstice." Because starting from winter, life activities begin to change from decline to prosperity, from stillness to rotation. At this time, scientific health maintenance can help ensure strong energy, prevent premature aging, and achieve the purpose of prolonging life. During the winter solstice, the diet should be diverse, with a reasonable mix of grains, fruits, meats, and vegetables, and appropriate selection of high-calcium foods.

Different places have different customs during the Winter Solstice. Most places in northern China have the custom of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice. After thousands of years of development, the Winter Solstice has formed a unique seasonal food culture. Eating dumplings has become a custom during the Winter Solstice for most Chinese people. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, in Tengzhou City, Shandong Province, the custom of drinking mutton soup on the winter solstice is popular, which means to drive away the cold.

The ancients celebrated the Winter Solstice. Although many people today do not regard it as a festival, the Winter Festival is still one of the "Eight Festivals of the Year". Foodies still won't let go of the various winter solstice specialties. Festivals: such as northern dumplings, Chaoshan glutinous rice balls, southeastern mochi, Taizhou Leiyuan, Hefei pumpkin cakes, Ningbo sweet potato soup, Tengzhou mutton soup, Jiangnan rice, Suzhou wine, etc.

The Origin and Customs of the Winter Solstice Festival The Winter Solstice is a very important solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar and a traditional festival for the Han people in my country.

The Winter Solstice festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and is still used today. "Qing Jia Lu" even said that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year". This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People believe that the winter solstice is the natural transformation of yin and yang and a blessing from God. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was regarded as the "Winter Festival", and the government would hold a congratulatory ceremony called "Winter Congratulations" and have a routine holiday. There is such a record in "Book of the Later Han Dynasty": "Before and after the winter solstice, a gentleman settles down, keeps all officials in charge, does not listen to politics, and chooses auspicious times to save trouble." Therefore, on this day, the court has a holiday and rest, the army is on standby, the border fortress is in retreat, and the business travel is closed. , relatives and friends each give each other delicious food, visit each other, and happily spend a festival of "settle down and calm down".

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice was a day for worshiping heaven and ancestors. On this day, the emperor would go to the countryside to hold a ceremony to worship heaven. On this day, people would worship their parents and elders. There are still some places where Celebrate the winter solstice.

Legend of the Winter Solstice

1. In the past, there was a saying in old Beijing that “Winter Solstice Wonton and Summer Solstice Noodles” were served. According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Huns from the north often harassed the frontiers and the people had no peace. At that time, there were two leaders in the Xiongnu tribe, the Hun clan and the Tun clan, who were very ferocious.

The people hated it so much that they used meat fillings to wrap it into wontons and called them "wontons" after taking the sounds of "hun" and "tun". He eats his hatred and hopes to quell the war and live a peaceful life. Because wontons were first made on the winter solstice, every household eats wontons on the winter solstice.

2. The custom of eating dog meat during the Winter Solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the day of the winter solstice. He thought it tasted particularly delicious and was full of praise. Since then, the folk custom of eating dog meat during the winter solstice has been formed. Nowadays, people eat dog meat, mutton and various nutritious foods on the day of the winter solstice in order to have a good omen in the coming year.

3. In the Jiangnan water towns, there is a custom of the whole family gathering together to eat red beans and glutinous rice on the night of the winter solstice. According to legend, there was an untalented man of the Gong clan of the Han Dynasty who committed many evil deeds and died on the winter solstice. After his death, he turned into a plague ghost and continued to harm the people. However, this plague ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook and eat red bean rice on the winter solstice to ward off plague ghosts and prevent disasters and diseases.

4. Why eat dumplings during the Winter Solstice!

Dumplings are an essential holiday meal for everyone, rich or poor, on the winter solstice of the lunar calendar every year. A proverb goes: "On October 1st, when the winter solstice arrives, every household eats dumplings." This custom was left to commemorate the "medical sage" Zhang Zhongjing who gave up medicine during the winter solstice.

Zhang Zhongjing was a native of Gengdong, Nanyang. He wrote Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Miscellaneous Diseases, which is a collection of the great achievements of medical doctors. The Quhan Jiaoer Decoction was regarded as a classic by doctors of all ages. Zhang Zhongjing has a famous saying: "If you advance, you will save the world; if you retreat, you will save the people; if you cannot be a good prime minister, you should also be a good doctor." During the Eastern Han Dynasty, he served as the prefect of Changsha, visiting patients and administering medicine, and practicing medicine in the lobby. Later, he resolutely resigned and returned to his hometown to treat his neighbors. It was winter when he returned home. He saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River were sallow and thin, hungry and cold, and many of them had their ears rotten by the cold. So he asked his disciples to set up a medical tent and a large pot in Dongguan, Nanyang, to treat frostbite on the winter solstice. He put mutton and some cold-repelling medicinal materials in a pot and boiled them. Then he took out the mutton and the medicinal materials and chopped them into pieces. He used bread to make "jiao ears" like ears. After they were cooked, he distributed them to everyone who came to ask for medicine. Two "charming ears" and a big bowl of broth. People ate "Jiao Er" and drank "Qu Han Tang", their whole bodies became warm, their ears felt hot, and their frostbitten ears were cured. Later generations imitated the appearance of "Jiao Er" and wrapped them into food, also called "dumplings" or "flat food".

Eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice is to remember the kindness of "Medical Saint" Zhang Zhongjing's "Quhan Jiao Er Soup". There is still a folk saying in Nanyang that "if you don't bring dumpling bowls during the winter solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care".

Winter Solstice Customs

Winter Solstice (the 21st or 22nd of December in the Gregorian calendar) is the beginning of the ninth month. The ancients believed that during the winter solstice, the days are getting longer day by day and the yang energy is rising, which is an auspicious day. So it's worth celebrating. The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties all held ceremonies to worship heaven, which was called "Winter Solstice Suburban Sky". There is a ceremony in the palace where officials present congratulations to the emperor, and they also congratulate each other, just like New Year's Day. However, the folk do not regard the winter solstice as a festival, but there are some activities that suit the time.

In the Qing Dynasty, some bannermen prayed for blessings to eliminate disasters. At the fifth watch of the winter solstice, the family's direct relatives, aunts, and close friends are invited to sit on the ground in the courtyard, use a low table to offer "Heaven and Earth Codes" or memorial tablets, and kill pigs to offer sacrifices to the sky. By the way, we offer sacrifices to the "ancestor pole" (a flagpole two or three feet high, with a gourd-shaped top and a "diao dou" slightly below, with flags hanging under the dou, representing the ancestors). After the sacrifice, relatives and friends sit around and eat "white meat", which is called "Shen Yu".

Southerners who live and travel in Beijing also hold feasts to worship their ancestors. At the same time, colleagues or close friends are also invited to... >>

The cultural background, customs, origins, legends, and culture of the Winter Solstice. The 20-character Winter Solstice festival originated from the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Still in use today. "Qing Jia Lu" even said that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year". This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People believe that the winter solstice is the natural transformation of yin and yang and a blessing from God. In the Han Dynasty, the Winter Solstice was regarded as the "Winter Festival", and the government would hold a congratulatory ceremony called "Hedong" and have a routine holiday. There is such a record in "Book of the Later Han Dynasty": "Before and after the winter solstice, a gentleman settles down, keeps all officials in charge, does not listen to politics, and chooses auspicious times to save trouble." Therefore, on this day, the court has a holiday and rest, the army is on standby, the border fortress is in retreat, and the business travel is closed. , relatives and friends each give each other delicious food, visit each other, and happily spend a "settle and quiet" festival.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice was a day for worshiping heaven and ancestors. On this day, the emperor would go to the countryside to hold a ceremony to worship heaven. On this day, people would worship their parents and elders. There are still some places where Celebrate the winter solstice.

One of the legends of the Winter Solstice

In the past, there was a saying in old Beijing: "Winter Solstice Wonton and Summer Solstice Noodles". According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Huns from the north often harassed the frontiers, and the people had no peace. At that time, there were two leaders in the Xiongnu tribe, the Hun clan and the Tun clan, who were very ferocious. The people hated it so much that they used meat fillings to wrap it into wontons and called them "wontons" after taking the sounds of "hun" and "tun". He eats his hatred and hopes to quell the war and live a peaceful life. Because wontons were first made on the winter solstice, every household eats wontons on the winter solstice.

Eating "Pinched Frozen Ears" is a common name for Henan people eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice. Why is there such a food custom? It is said that Zhang Zhongjing, the medical sage of Nanyang, once served as an official in Changsha. When he retired and returned to his hometown, it was a snowy winter with biting cold wind. He saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River in Nanyang were not fully clothed, and many people's ears were rotten by the cold. He felt very sad, so he asked his disciples to set up a medical tent in Guandong, Nanyang, and put pots with mutton, chili peppers and some anti-cold medicinal materials. Cook it in a pot, take it out, chop it into pieces, wrap it in dough to look like an ear, put it in a pot and cook it, and make a medicine called "Cold-Expelling Ear-correcting Soup" and given to the people. After taking it, the villagers' ears were cured. Later, during the winter solstice, people would imitate the cooking process and eat it, thus forming the custom of "pinching frozen ears". Later, people called it "dumplings", and some also called it "flat food" and "hot noodle dumplings." People also said that eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice would keep people from freezing.

Winter Solstice Legend 2

The custom of eating dog meat during the Winter Solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the day of the Winter Solstice and thought it tasted particularly delicious. From then on, the custom of eating dog meat during the Winter Solstice was established among the people. Custom. Nowadays, people eat dog meat, mutton and various nutritious foods on the winter solstice in order to have a good omen in the coming year.

Winter Solstice Legend No. 3

In the Jiangnan Water Town. , there is a custom of the whole family gathering together to eat red beans and glutinous rice on the night of the winter solstice. According to legend, there was a man named Jianggong whose son was not successful and committed many evil deeds. He died on the winter solstice and became a man after his death. The plague ghost continues to harm the people. However, this plague ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook and eat red bean rice on the winter solstice to ward off the plague ghost and prevent disasters and diseases.

Why does the winter solstice happen? What is the custom of eating dumplings in memory of Zhang Zhongjing

What are the customs for people to eat during the Winter Solstice? The Winter Solstice is not fixed every year, but it is usually fixed on December 21st or 22nd. The days are uncertain and are also called "living festivals". There are also different ways of celebrating the winter solstice every year.

As a major festival for the Chinese nation in winter, the winter solstice is celebrated in different ways. Having a meal together as a family is the most basic holiday custom. Relatives in a city often gather at the elderly’s home to celebrate.

This is the most common and common custom. Eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice is almost a tradition for every household. In supermarkets a few days before the Winter Solstice, flour dumpling powder is also the best-selling item. .

If you have a large family, you will also want to make dumplings with several kinds of fillings.

Some elderly people will go to their hometowns to visit the graves on the Winter Solstice. Those who are unable to return to their hometowns will make a small offering table at home and place some dumplings, wine, fruits, etc. to pay homage to the deceased elderly people in their families. .

Drinking mutton soup

It is said that eating more mutton in winter is beneficial to the body's internal fire and is effective in fighting colds. It is a winter diet. First choice. In some places in Shandong, it is a local custom to eat mutton soup during the winter solstice.

Tangyuan, mochi...

It is not as cold as in the north. It is also eaten during the winter solstice. Local special foods to welcome the arrival of the winter solstice. Such as glutinous rice balls, mochi, fermented rice balls, etc.

From the winter solstice, the cold winter really begins.

We should start to pay attention to our diet, especially those with cold body. In addition to dressing warmly, we should also pay attention to our diet and eat more foods rich in protein, carbohydrates and fats to increase our own energy to resist the wind and cold and spend the winter happily.