It's the custom of northerners to eat dumplings during the Spring Festival. In the evening of the new year's Eve, as soon as the clock strikes, people begin to eat dumplings. It's a tradition of northerners to eat dumplings and watch the Spring Festival Gala together. Why do you want to eat dumplings on New Year's Eve? What's the origin of eating dumplings on New Year's Eve?
Eating dumplings is to take the meaning of 'more year old jiaozi'. This custom began in the early Ming Dynasty. The homophony of Jiaozi evolved into jiaozi. Moreover, because the shape of white noodles dumplings is like silver ingot, a basin on the table symbolizes the meaning of "making a fortune in the new year, bringing in Yuanbao".
Dumplings on the eve of the lunar new year are important contents of the festival. Therefore, there are many rules and customs. These customs are to meet the needs of the New Year atmosphere.
1. Placement of dumplings
The dumplings of the new year's Eve are not only exquisite in shape, but also regularly placed. First of all, it can't be put around. As the saying goes: 'a thousand busy, do not let dumplings go around. 'the daily dumplings are arranged horizontally and vertically, all according to their wishes, but the dumplings made in the new year's Eve are not. Shandong and other places to use a round curtain, first put a few Yuanbao shaped dumplings in the middle, and then around Yuanbao in a circle to the outside layer by layer orderly, folk custom cloud 'circle Blessing'.
Some people even stipulate that no matter how big or small the curtain is, only 99 curtains can be placed on each curtain, and the curtain should be covered. Therefore, it can only be achieved by adjusting the spacing and row spacing of dumplings, which is called "endless happiness for a long time".
2. Dumpling making
When making dumplings, people often pack Jinruyi, sugar, peanuts, dates and chestnuts into the stuffing. The people who eat the best wishes and sugar will have a sweeter life next year. The people who eat the peanuts will live a long and healthy life. The people who eat the dates and chestnuts will have children early. When some dumplings are made, several coins sterilized with boiling water are also wrapped in them, saying that whoever eats them first can earn more money.
In some areas, when people eat dumplings, they also need to match some non-staple food to show auspiciousness. If you eat tofu, it symbolizes the happiness of the whole family; if you eat persimmon, it symbolizes everything goes well; if you eat three fresh vegetables, it symbolizes Sanyang Kaitai. Taiwanese eat fish balls, meatballs and hairdressing, which symbolize reunion and wealth.
There are many kinds of dumplings because of different filling and making methods. Even if it's the same kind of dumpling, there are different ways to eat it: Daur people in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang want to cook the dumplings in vermicelli broth. Then we eat dumplings with soup; in some areas of Henan Province, dumplings and noodles are boiled together, which is called "gold thread wears Yuanbao".
3. Shape of dumplings
The shape of dumplings is exquisite. Most areas are used to keeping the traditional moon shape. When wrapping this shape, fold the face in half, knead it with the thumb and index finger of the right hand along the semicircle edge, and knead it carefully and evenly, which is called "pinching happiness". In some farmers' houses, the two corners of the dumplings, which are made into the shape of a crescent moon, are pulled together in the shape of 'Yuanbao' and placed on the curtain, symbolizing wealth everywhere and gold and silver everywhere.
In some farmhouses, the dumplings are shaped like ears of wheat, which symbolizes the harvest of the new year. But more is the dumplings into several shapes, indicating that the next year can be full of money, grain full warehouse, life is booming.