The cold wind is blowing and the snow is falling. Time always takes us through one season after another inadvertently. It seems that the heavy snow has just entered, but in the blink of an eye it is almost the winter solstice. The winter solstice is an important solar term among the twenty-four solar terms and one of the four seasons and eight festivals. There is a folk saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the New Year, and the world is reunited", which shows that the winter solstice still has a high status in the hearts of the people.
Entering the winter solstice also marks the beginning of the cold season. Folk proverbs include: "The summer solstice is three o'clock, and the winter solstice is the number nine." The Winter Solstice is a traditional folk festival for worshiping ancestors. When the festival encounters cold weather, what are the customs and particularities? As the saying goes, "There are different winds in ten miles, and different customs in hundreds of miles. The soil and water support the people, and the emotions of the people nurture the customs." In some places, fumigation and bathing are required after the winter solstice, in some places people like to drink mutton soup and eat dog meat, and in other places people start to bake fires to spend the winter. The winter solstice is approaching. Regardless of whether you are rich or poor, remember to "eat 5 things and do 4 things", which means good luck and peace.
5 kinds of food to eat
Type 1: Eating dumplings
Why do we eat dumplings during the Winter Solstice? One of the reasons for eating dumplings is to commemorate the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing. Zhang Zhongjing saw that the villagers were suffering from cold and hunger, and some of their ears were rotten by the cold. So the mutton, pepper and some cold-repelling medicinal materials were cooked, minced, wrapped in dough, shaped into ears, cooked in a pot, and made into "cold-repelling ear correction soup" for the villagers to eat. After eating, the villagers felt warm and their ears were healed. The second reason for eating dumplings is that dumplings have the same pronunciation as "Jiaozi", which means the alternation of old and new.
Recommended recipe: cabbage and pork oil dumplings
Ingredients: 200 grams of cabbage, 300 grams of pork, garlic , green onions, balsamic vinegar, chili powder, salt, 500 grams of dumpling wrappers, cooking oil, sesame , light soy sauce
① We wash the cabbage and cut it into pieces. Add a little salt, stir and marinate for 10 minutes. Rinse clean, squeeze out the water and put into a bowl. Wash the pork and cut into pieces. Add the onion and ginger water, stir well, and add to the cabbage. Add light soy sauce, salt, and chopped green onion and stir clockwise until evenly mixed. Add a little more oil and stir.
②Put the cabbage and pork stuffing into the dumpling skin and pinch it tightly.
③ Boil water in a pot. After the water boils, add the dumplings and cook. After the dumplings are set, use a spatula to scoop up from the bottom, add 1 tablespoon of cold water, and continue cooking.
④ After adding cold water 3 times, the dumplings will float and are cooked. Take a bowl, add chili powder, minced garlic, and chopped green onion, pour a little hot oil to stimulate the aroma, then pour in the dumplings, mix well, and serve.
Type 2: Eating rice cake
Rice cake is a traditional delicacy in China. It is made by soaking glutinous rice or glutinous rice mixed with a little ordinary rice, then grinding it into a paste, then shaping it into a pot, steaming it, and finally drying it. The rice cakes come in three colors: red, yellow and white. They taste glutinous and are very popular among people.
Rice cakes are also called "nian rice cakes", which are homophonic to "year by year", which means that children are getting taller every year. In addition, rice cake also means that life is getting better every year.
Entering the winter solstice means entering deep winter, and the temperature is very low. Rice cakes are high in calories and have a strong feeling of satiety. Eat some rice cake soup or stir-fry a plate of rice cakes in the morning and you won't be hungry all morning.
Recommended recipe: Brown sugar rice cake
Ingredients: 200 grams of rice cake, appropriate amount of brown sugar, a little sesame
① We break the rice cake, wash it with water and drain it. Grease the pan with oil and fry the rice cake strips.
② Keep turning over until the rice cake is soft.
③ Boil water in a pot, pour in brown sugar cubes and cook. When the brown sugar is almost completely melted, add the rice cake and cook together.
④ Bring the juice to a boil over high heat, sprinkle some sesame seeds and it’s ready to serve.
Type 3: Eat sweet potatoes
What are sweet potatoes? In fact, it is another name for sweet potato. The words "fan" and "fan" for sweet potato have the same pronunciation. Eating sweet potatoes during the Winter Solstice means "turning over" all the bad luck of the past year. In the traditional custom of Ningbo in my country, there is the custom of eating sweet potato soup and fruit during the winter solstice. However, when local people make sweet potato soup, they will add some fermented rice to get the good fortune of "increased wealth" and "increased luck".
In some areas of Anhui, sweet potatoes are cooked directly or rice is added to make porridge and eaten. This also means turning over bad luck.
Recommended recipe: Sweet potato and millet porridge
Ingredients: 1 sweet potato, 40 grams of millet, 20 grams of ordinary rice, appropriate amount of water
① We wash the rice and millet and pour them into the pot. Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes, wash them and cut them into small pieces and put them in the pot. Add water to cover the ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. After the water boils, reduce to medium-low heat.
② The sweet potatoes will be cooked when you insert them with chopsticks. Turn off the heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes before you can eat them.
Type 4: Eating roasted pork Barbecued pork
In some areas of southern my country, roasted pork is eaten on the Winter Solstice. It belongs to Cantonese cuisine, including roast goose, suckling pig, squab, barbecued pork , brine, etc. means adding vegetables to add years.
The temperature after entering the winter solstice is low, which is suitable for curing bacon, filling sausages, etc. On the day of the winter solstice, take out some and taste it with your family.
Recommended recipes: Pickled fresh meat
Ingredients: 300 grams of bacon, green onions, ginger, winter bamboo shoots , thousand knots , salt, green onions, ginger, cooking wine, cooking oil
① We soak the bacon in water, remove the excess salt, wash it and cut it into small pieces.
② Add a little oil to the pot, pour in the bacon and fry. After frying some of the fat, add the winter bamboo shoots and stir-fry together.
③ Add boiling water to cover the ingredients, add onion and ginger to remove the fishy smell, bring to a boil over high heat, then change to medium to low heat. After the water boils, pour in Qian Zhangjie and continue cooking.
④ When inserting the sausage with chopsticks, add a little salt to taste, then sprinkle some chopped green onion and it is ready to serve.
Type 5: Eating glutinous rice balls
As the saying goes, " Southern glutinous rice balls, northern dumplings ", how can we miss a bowl of glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice? Glutinous rice balls, also called glutinous rice balls, are one of the traditional snacks of the Han nationality and can be found in important festivals. The cooked glutinous rice balls are sweet, soft and glutinous, with endless aftertaste.
Tangyuan is round in shape, symbolizing a happy family reunion. The winter solstice is an important folk festival. In addition to offering sacrifices to ancestors, it is also a day for family reunions. Therefore, there is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the year, and the world is reunited", so glutinous rice balls are also an indispensable delicacy.
How to make glutinous rice balls?
① We first wash the sesame seeds, drain the water and pour them into the pot to fry. When you hear the sesame seeds ringing in the pot, scoop them up and crush them with a rolling pin. Add a little more white sugar or brown sugar and stir.
② Take 200 grams of glutinous rice flour, add cold water in small amounts and several times, and knead it into a smooth dough. Divide into small portions of similar size, fill with sesame filling, and roll into balls.
③ Boil water in a pot. After the water boils, add glutinous rice balls and cook. When it floats, add a spoonful of cold water and continue cooking. It is ready to eat after adding water 3 times.
Do 4 things
The first thing: worship ancestors
Many festivals in our country require ancestor worship, and the winter solstice is no exception. Southern Song Dynasty Meng Yuanlao's " Tokyo Menghua Lu ": "The winter solstice in November is the most important festival in the capital. Even the poorest people will accumulate money during the year. On this day, they will buy new clothes, prepare food, and enjoy worshiping their ancestors. Officials will relax and celebrate the comings and goings, just like the New Year." The main purpose of ancestor worship is to pray to the gods and ancestors to eliminate disasters, and hope that the weather will be good in the coming year, and everything will be prosperous for the family.
The second thing: bask in the sun
As the saying goes, "an inch of winter sunshine is worth a thousand pieces of gold." The winter solstice is also in the depth of winter, and the temperature is very low. In winter, when everything is collected and Yang Qi converges, more sunshine can help us replenish Yang Qi. Only with sufficient yang energy can we resist cold and disease attacks.
Most of the vitamin D needed by the human body depends on sunlight, and vitamin D can promote the growth and differentiation of skin cells and regulate immune function .
When the sun is nice, we turn our backs to the sun and bask in the sun, back and shoulders, and then our feet. We also take out our clothes and sheets to dry them and sterilize them.
The third thing: soak your feet
After the winter solstice, all parts of our country have entered the coldest stage. We can add or remove clothing appropriately according to the temperature, but at most we should wear a pair of socks on our feet. As the saying goes "cold starts from the feet", remember to soak your feet every night.
The water temperature for foot bath should be controlled at around 40 degrees and should not exceed 50 degrees. Soak for 10-20 minutes each time. You can add moxa leaves, ginger slices, etc. to the water for soaking your feet.
The fourth thing: giving shoes to children
Giving shoes to children is also a local custom. Giving shoes also gives warmth. hopes that the children can have a warm winter.
Shoes are associated with "evil" and have the meaning of stepping on evil spirits and sending them away . I hope the children will grow up safely and healthily.
Conclusion: The winter solstice is coming, and so is the coldest day of the year. Remember, regardless of whether you are rich or poor, "eat 5 things and do 4 things" to spend the winter safely. #headlinescreationchallenge##winterlife check-in season#
