Tomorrow is the winter solstice. Do you know what customs are associated with the winter solstice and where do these customs come from? Let me take a look:
Eating dumplings
According to legend, when the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing returned home, he saw that many people on both sides of the Baihe River had their ears rotten by the cold, so he asked his disciples to set up a medical tent and give "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction" to treat chilblains on the winter solstice. After drinking the cold dispelling soup, my whole body felt warm and my frostbitten ears were slowly healed.
In order not to forget Zhang Zhongjing's kindness, future generations learned the "Jiao Er" look and made it into food, also called "dumplings" or "flat food".
Eating glutinous rice balls
Eating glutinous rice balls at the Winter Solstice has been a custom in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. On the day of the Winter Solstice, people should "make rice balls" or "make glutinous rice balls into balls".
Another explanation is that the Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Eating glutinous rice balls not only represents the gradual return of the sun, but also represents the meaning of reunion.
Worshiping ancestors
Winter Solstice sacrificial activities have been held since the Zhou Dynasty. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the emperor would hold a grand worship ceremony on the day of the winter solstice, and the common people would also pay homage to their ancestors and sweep their tombs. To this day, some areas still retain the custom of sweeping graves during the winter solstice.
Giving shoes and hats
Giving shoes and hats during the winter solstice is to hope that children will grow up safely and to ward off evil spirits. 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 usually made in the shape of a phoenix, and the embroideries on the shoes are mostly flowers and birds.
Eat dog meat and mutton
It is said that Han emperor Liu Bang ate the dog meat cooked by General Fan Kuai on the winter solstice. He thought it tasted delicious and praised it full of praise. Since then, eating dog meat during the Winter Solstice has spread among the people. Later, I gradually changed to eating mutton, which can be combined with traditional Chinese medicine to dispel wind and prevent cold.
Eating red beans and rice
In some areas of 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, in that era when humans and gods coexisted, Gonggong's son failed to become a man of talent, and unfortunately died on the day of the winter solstice, , and turned into a plague ghost. The so-called epidemic ghost is a ghost that specializes in spreading infectious diseases and epidemics. It likes to harm and harm the people.
But he has a characteristic, that is, he is afraid of red beans, so the folk have formed a custom of eating red beans and glutinous rice.
Eating roast pork
According to reports, on the Winter Solstice, most Cantonese people have the custom of eating Winter Solstice meat with "added vegetables". Among them, roasted pork is an indispensable traditional food on the Cantonese table during the Winter Solstice. In addition to worshiping their ancestors, the whole family prepares a table full of fish, meat, bacon and sausages, and eats the meal happily, in order to pray for good luck and good fortune in the coming year.
