At 3:39 p.m. today, autumn officially begins. It has already entered the autumn in 21017. Autumn is a clear and refreshing season. We should start to adjust our diet. In many places, there is a custom of eating dumplings in the beginning of autumn. Why should we eat dumplings in the beginning of autumn? Where is the custom of eating dumplings in the beginning of autumn?
The reason of eating dumplings in autumn
The solar term of the beginning of autumn is in the dog days. The temperature is hot in the dog days. For example, the continuous high temperature in the first two weeks makes most people have poor appetite, so they can't eat anything. Dumplings not only have many kinds, but also are especially suitable for eating when they have no appetite. They are very appetizing. In addition, after the beginning of autumn, Sanfu days will soon be over, and many people will become thinner because of the loss of appetite during Sanfu. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, weight loss in summer is actually a loss of body. Therefore, it is also said in traditional Chinese medicine that the posterity of the beginning of autumn needs to be replenished, that is, we often say "sticking autumn fat". And dumplings are also a kind of meat food, so eating dumplings in autumn is also a way of sticking fat in autumn.
Where is the custom of eating dumplings in autumn
First, in Shandong Province, the custom of starting autumn is to make dumplings, which is called "biting autumn" by the common people. On the day of the beginning of autumn, sacrifice to ancestors first and pray for the harvest after the beginning of autumn. Then after the worship, the whole family gathered to eat dumplings.
2. In Northeast China, people usually eat dumplings or steamed buns on the day of autumn, which is often called "grabbing autumn fat". It is said that if you eat more dumplings on the day of the beginning of autumn, you will be able to build a strong body and make up for the oil and water lost in summer.
Other interesting customs and activities in the beginning of autumn
1. In the south, there is a custom of "eating autumn melons at the beginning of autumn". In order to prevent dry autumn, it has become a custom for a long time. The capital chronicle published in the period of the Republic of China records: 'the day before the beginning of autumn, eating watermelon is called nibbling autumn. 'it also means to welcome autumn.
Second, the beginning of autumn not only indicates that the hot summer is about to pass, but also the coming of autumn. It also means that the plants are beginning to bear children and the harvest season is coming. Therefore, after the beginning of autumn, there is a custom of offering sacrifices to the God of land and celebrating the harvest.
3. When the solar term for the beginning of autumn comes, women who have not given birth after marriage at night, accompanied by their aunts or other female partners, go to the melon racks and bean sheds in the fields to secretly pick up melons and beans, hence the name touch autumn. As the saying goes, it's easier to touch a pumpkin and have a boy; it's easier to touch a lentil and have a girl; it's more auspicious to touch a white lentil. Besides having a girl, it's also a good omen for growing old.
4. Shandong is also popular for eating "dregs" at the beginning of autumn, and there is a saying that "if you eat dregs at the beginning of autumn, adults and children will neither vomit nor pull". Because autumn is a high incidence period of gastrointestinal diseases, folk customs in many areas have the meaning of curing diseases and praying for a year's health. Sichuan and Shandong are typical representatives of this kind of folk custom.