The origin of Beginning of Winter: During the Spring and Autumn Period, people used Tugui (pole shadow measurement) to measure the length of the sun's shadow. The day with the longest shadow and the sun moving to its southernmost point is designated as the winter solstice. In ancient my country, the Beginning of Winter was divided into three periods: "In the first period, the water begins to freeze; in the second period, the ground begins to freeze; in the third period, the pheasants (zhì) enter the flood water and become mirages." In this solar term, water can already freeze into ice; the land also begins to freeze; " The pheasant in "Pheasant enters the flood and becomes a mirage" refers to a large bird such as a pheasant, and the mirage is a large clam. After the beginning of winter, large birds such as pheasants are rare, but the shells and lines of pheasants can be seen on the seashore. and large clams of similar color. Therefore, the ancients believed that pheasants jumped into the sea and turned into giant clams after the beginning of winter.

The legend of eating dumplings at the beginning of winter: Legend has it that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing once served as a prefect in Hunan, and later resigned and returned to his hometown in the winter of a certain year. When he returned to his hometown, he saw that all the fellow villagers were emaciated, hungry and cold, and some even had their ears frozen.

He felt very uncomfortable, so he asked his disciples to build a medical shed and set up a pot. They used mutton, medicinal materials, peppers, etc. as fillings, and then wrapped them in dough to make them look like ears. He cooked the soup to "dispel cold and correct ears" and distributed it to the villagers. After eating, the villagers' ears were cured.

Later, during the Beginning of Winter and the Winter Solstice, people would imitate the noodle soup and make dumplings at that time. Now, it has become a custom at the Beginning of Winter. People say that eating dumplings at the Beginning of Winter will prevent frostbite on the ears.