What are the Winter Solstice's eating customs?

The Winter Solstice is the most important of the 24 solar terms, and it is also a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. In terms of dietary customs, it is more common that the Winter Solstice eats dumplings in northern China. As the saying goes, "the Winter Solstice, eat dumplings." While the south eats tangyuan, of course, there are exceptions. For example, in Tengzhou and other places in Shandong Province, the Winter Solstice is used to calling it "count Nine". It is popular to drink mutton soup on the same day, which means to drive out the cold.

boiled dumpling

Every year the Winter Solstice of the lunar calendar, dumplings are an essential holiday meal, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. As the saying goes, "on October 1st, the Winter Solstice arrived and every family ate dumplings." This custom is left in memory of the "medical sage" Zhang Zhongjing and the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice eats dumplings because he never forgets the grace of "medical sage" Zhang Zhongjing "Quhan Jiao ear decoction". Up to now, there is still a folk song in Nanyang that "the Winter Solstice misbehaved dumpling bowls, frozen off his ears and no one cares about them".

Mutton soup

It is said that the Winter Solstice's custom of eating mutton began in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, ate mutton cooked by Fan Kui on the Winter Solstice's day and found it particularly delicious and full of praise. From then on, the Winter Solstice's custom of eating mutton was formed among the people. People eat mutton and all kinds of nourishing foods on the Winter Solstice's day in order to have a good sign for the coming year. Now in the area of Tengzhou, Shandong Province, this day is called Fujiu. Before the festival, gifts such as mutton will be given to the elders. Every family in Fujiu will drink mutton soup, which is a good sign for individuals, elders and families.

Jiangnan rice

In the water village in the south of the Yangtze River, it is a custom for the whole family to get together to eat red bean and glutinous rice on the Winter Solstice's night. According to legend, the Gonggong family was untalented and committed many evils. he died on the day of the Winter Solstice and became an epidemic ghost after his death and continued to harm the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook and eat red bean rice on the Winter Solstice's day to ward off epidemic ghosts and prevent disasters and dispel diseases.

Sweet potato soup and fruit

In the traditional customs of Ningbo, sweet potato soup and fruit is one of the Winter Solstice's must-eat delicacies. "Fan" and "turn" have the same pronunciation. In the understanding of Ningbo people, when the Winter Solstice eats sweet potatoes, he means "turning over" all the bad luck of the past year. Tang Guo, similar to dumplings, but much smaller, and there is no stuffing in it. Tang Guo is also called Yuanzi, which means "reunion" and "consummation". There is also a saying in old Ningbo that "eating tangguo is one year older".

Taiwan glutinous cake

In Taiwan, China, the Winter Solstice's tradition of offering sacrifices to his ancestors with nine-layer cakes is preserved. Chicken, duck, turtle, pig, cow, sheep and other animals symbolizing good fortune and longevity are made from glutinous rice flour, and then steamed in a steamer to offer sacrifices to their ancestors to show that they do not forget their ancestors. Those with the same surname and clan agreed at an early date before and after the Winter Solstice gathered in the ancestral temple according to the order of the elders and children to worship their ancestors one by one, commonly known as "ancestor worship". After the ceremony, there will be a feast for relatives who came to worship their ancestors. Everyone drank happily and contacted each other's strange feelings for a long time, which was called "the ancestor of Food." The ancestors of the Winter Solstice Festival have been handed down from generation to generation in Taiwan to show that they do not forget their "roots." Radish, green vegetables, tofu, fungus and so on.

Taizhou Lieyuan

People in Taizhou, Zhejiang have good food. The Winter Solstice is an important solar term of the year. To cook some special dishes and food on this day, we must first pay tribute to our ancestors and pray that the ancestors will keep the whole family safe and prosperous in the coming year. Then the whole family happily get together to drink and eat food. Among them, eating "the Winter Solstice Yuan" (also known as beating round, also known as beating round, turning rough circle) is an old tradition in Taizhou.

Suzhou brewing wine

The Gusu area attaches great importance to the Winter Solstice's solar terms. As the saying goes, "the Winter Solstice is like a big year." Traditional Gusu people drink winter wine at night in the Winter Solstice. Winter wine is a kind of rice wine brewed with sweet-scented osmanthus, with a pleasant aroma. The people of Gusu drink winter wine at night, and at the same time, they also serve stewed beef, stewed mutton and other kinds of stewed vegetables. In the cold winter, winter wine can not only drive out the cold, but also place a good wish on life for the people of Gusu.

Jiangxi Mashi

Ma Yu is not only a specialty of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, but also a traditional snack of Fujian people and a sacrifice offering of Fujian people. It is suitable for steaming, frying, roasting and sand stir-frying after drying.

Winter solstice noodles

After eating winter solstice noodles, one line grows every day. In Hefei, Anhui, the Winter Solstice's custom of eating noodles is related to solar terms, climate and farming. The Winter Solstice counted nine cold days after that, counting 19 every nine days. In the freezing winter, eating a bowl of hot egg noodles can be regarded as a the Winter Solstice.

Tangyuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)

The Han nationality in Chaoshan area has a saying: "the winter festival is as big as the year" and "the winter festival does not return to our ancestors". It means that people who go out should rush back home to worship their ancestors on this day, otherwise they will have no concept of ancestral home. Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait attach great importance to the Winter Solstice and regard the Winter Solstice as a reunion festival. After eating the winter festival circle, people in Chaoshan have to stick two winter festival circles in conspicuous places such as doors, windows, tables, cupboards, ladders and beds, even the bow of fishermen, the horns of cattle cultivated by farmers, and the fruit trees planted by fruit farmers.

Fried eggs with longan

The Winter Solstice is a big festival in ancient times. Jiaxing attaches great importance to the Winter Solstice. As the saying goes, "the Winter Solstice is as big as a year", preserving the ancient style. According to Jiaxing Chronicles: "the Winter Solstice sacrificed first, crowned and congratulated each other, such as Yuan Dan Yi." People advocate the Winter Solstice tonic, including red bean glutinous rice, ginseng soup, white fungus, walnut kernel stew, longan boiled eggs and so on. Up to now, Jiaxing still inherits the custom of the Winter Solstice eating "longan fried eggs". Old people say that because the Winter Solstice has the longest night in a year, it will freeze all night if he doesn't eat, and he will be hungry in the middle of the night.

Pumpkin cake

The Winter Solstice looked at the New year, Hefei people to the Winter Solstice to eat pumpkin pie, the streets are filled with the smell of pumpkin pie, and there is a proverb called "eat winter solstice noodles, a day long line", that is, said the Winter Solstice, the night will be short and the day will be long