Winter solstice, as one of the earliest 24 solar terms, has a special meaning. According to historical records, the ancients believed that from the beginning of the winter solstice, the Yang of heaven and earth began to flourish and gradually strengthened, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which was the day of great auspice. Because of the different dietary habits of different regions, the people in the South and the people in the north also have very different winter solstice, so how do the people in the South spend the winter solstice?
Winter solstice customs in northern rural areas:
It is understood that there is a custom of eating dumplings in the north of China. There is a direct relationship between the choice of winter solstice dumpling stuffing and the implication. The most common Chinese chives stuffing indicates the meaning of long-term wealth. There is a saying "dumplings in winter and noodles in summer". It is believed that people should eat more nutritious food to supplement their calories because of the cold winter and the high consumption of calories. And eating dumplings is also known as "an'er" (the shape of dumplings is like ears). According to the folk custom, not eating dumplings on the winter solstice will freeze the ears, which is not conducive to agricultural harvest. On the other hand, eating dumplings is to commemorate Zhang Zhongjing, the king of medicine. Dumplings, wontons and steamed buns will be eaten around the table by family members, which is called "steamed winter". Of course, there are exceptions, such as the custom of drinking mutton soup on the day of winter solstice in Zaozhuang, Sichuan and Shandong, which means to drive away the cold. Different places have different food customs, but dumplings are the most common.
Winter solstice customs in southern rural areas:
The custom of eating sweet food such as dumplings and glutinous rice cakes on the winter solstice in the South: on the winter solstice, people will eat round food made of rice noodles, that is, 'dumplings' and' dumplings' (called 'balls' in the north of China), which symbolizes the end of the year reunion. People in coastal areas tend to make dumplings red and white to symbolize the intersection of yin and Yang. Eating dumplings on the winter solstice also symbolizes being one year older. There is a saying: 'if you want to be rich, eat a piece of hot tofu on the winter solstice. "It is popular in the south to eat tofu for tonic on the eve of the winter solstice, which is the eve of the turn of the year when farming is on duty. At the same time, it is also called 'tofu Festival'. Another explanation is that the winter solstice is the longest night of the year. On the day of the winter solstice, before the dawn, the women rise up to make a fire and cook the Tangyuan, worship the heaven and worship the ancestors, and then the whole family sit around and eat the tangyuan. Therefore, eating Tangyuan at the winter solstice, in addition to indicating the gradual return of the sun (sunshine), also represents the meaning of reunion. Modern people prefer to regard it as a symbol of completeness.
Special reminder: because the weather is generally dry and cold, most of my friends can choose beef and mutton, which are warm, nourishing and cold dispelling ingredients, to make dumpling stuffing. If you are worried about over filling, you can put some light and dry ingredients such as radish, celery or agaric to balance the nutrition. Old friends tend to have bad intestines and stomachs. Dumpling stuffing should be light. Cabbage and pork are good choices. You can also mix some vegetable stuffing. The best way to make dumplings is to eat them now and adjust them now. The stuffing should not be kept for a long time; the meat stuffing should not be too thin; the stuffing with pepper oil is the best seasoning oil.
Winter solstice is a good time for health preservation, mainly because 'Qi starts from Winter Solstice'. Because from the beginning of winter, life activities began to turn from decline to prosperity, from static rotation. At this time, scientific health preservation is helpful to ensure vigorous energy and prevent premature aging, so as to prolong life. During the winter solstice, the diet should be diversified, with reasonable collocation of grains, fruits, meat and vegetables, and appropriate selection of high calcium food. Tomorrow is the winter solstice. What do you eat in your hometown?