Summer Solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms and the earliest one to be determined. The date is between June 20th and 22nd in the Gregorian calendar every year. The summer solstice was also an important traditional festival (solar term) in ancient China. Before the Qing Dynasty, the whole country had a one-day holiday on the summer solstice. In the Song Dynasty, officials would also have a three-day holiday on the summer solstice. In the Liao Dynasty, the summer solstice was called the "Chao Festival". '.

My hometown is Xi'an in the northwest region. In my hometown, there is a custom of eating rice dumplings on the summer solstice. The following are the specific customs:

In the northwest region, there is a custom of eating rice dumplings on the summer solstice. Eat rice dumplings, and use chrysanthemum ashes to prevent wheat from being attacked by insects. When the summer solstice comes, Yang Qi shrinks day by day, and Yin Qi grows day by day. At this time, the old Yang Qi must be sent away. The glutinous rice and red dates in the rice dumplings are from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. It seems that they are something that symbolizes yang. People wrap them up and eat them, which means saying goodbye to the yang season. "Eating zongzi was originally a ritual eating. "?

Zongzi has a unique shape, like a "croissant". It is an alternative to the traditional Chinese food shape, but it has a great origin. The predecessor of Zongzi is called "corner millet", and its appearance can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty Dynasty. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, China entered the ritual and music civilization, and various sacrificial activities were hierarchical. At that time, the earliest level of sacrifice was called "Tailao", which was mainly used to worship the earth god and the grain god, and to pray for a good agricultural harvest. They are three types of livestock: cattle, sheep, and hogs.

According to records, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, people began to eat rice dumplings wrapped in wild rice leaves (wild rice leaves) into the shape of horns, called "horn millet". The rice dumplings are sealed and roasted in bamboo tubes, which are called "tube rice". Moreover, in the beginning, people ate rice dumplings not only during the Dragon Boat Festival, but also during the Dragon Boat Festival and the Summer Solstice. It is said that "Customally, the Dragon Boat Festival is the same as the Summer Solstice. "Liang's "Records of the Years of Jingchu" also says that rice dumplings are eaten on the Summer Solstice.

Even though rice dumplings later became a popular food during the Dragon Boat Festival, some places still retain the tradition of eating rice dumplings on the Summer Solstice.

Let’s take a look at other regions’ food customs during the Summer Solstice:

1. Shandong’s Summer Solstice food customs: cold noodles

The food customs during the Summer Solstice in various places in Shandong On this day, you have to eat cold noodles, which is to cross the water, weave a delicate little fence with wheat straw, and scoop the noodles into your mouth again and again in the soup. For children, it is more than just eating. It is also a game, full of fun. ?

In the Qing Dynasty, "Xia Zhi Fu Noodles" has developed into various kinds of cold noodles. Worshiping Fangze is a grand ceremony of the country. Japanese people eat cold noodles, even as the saying goes, the water surface is... cold noodles are refreshing and suitable, unparalleled in the world. ”?

Summer Solstice Noodles are also called “Irifu Noodles”. The noodles or noodle leaves that are cooked in the pot are mostly hand-rolled noodles, usually made of freshly harvested new wheat noodles. Such noodles or noodles The leaves are fragrant, delicious and easy to digest. The preparation and eating method of Summer Solstice Cold Noodles are very particular. Not only do you need to use cold boiled water or mountain spring water to "cool" the cooked noodles or noodles, but you also need to mix them with many ingredients. Plant side dishes and seasonings. ?

2. Beijing’s summer solstice food customs: Summer Solstice Noodles

“Winter Solstice Dumplings and Summer Solstice Noodles. "This saying is another folk custom in old Beijing. Because it is located in the northern area of ????the Yellow River Basin, the main crop is wheat. When the new wheat is harvested, people use the new noodles to make happy noodles. This is the best way to celebrate the harvest. Eat Noodles are not only rich in nutrients and can satisfy people's appetite, but also eating many styles of noodles made by skillful hands can bring a variety of fun to life.

In addition to eating hot noodles in the hot summer. It is said that it also means "avoiding evil". The ancients believed that the fifth month of the lunar calendar was an evil month, and there was a saying that eating hot noodles was to drive away evil. Some people used sweating to get rid of the moisture and heat trapped in the body. People like to eat cold noodles in the summer to dispel the heat. The main reason for eating noodles during the summer solstice is because new wheat has appeared in the summer solstice, so eating noodles during the summer solstice also means "trying something new". People often lack appetite in the hot and humid weather. If you have a bowl of noodles at this time, it will be a good choice. Serving some refreshing side dishes will not only arouse people's appetite, but also make people enjoy more coolness and play a role in relieving the heat. ?

3. Lingnan Summer Solstice dietary custom: dog meat?

Dog meat has always been a good nutritious food among the people, and the Lingnan area has the habit of eating dog meat during the summer solstice. If you eat dog meat, your body will be strong enough to resist the invasion of the westerly wind and rain, and your body will be healthier?

From a medical point of view, dog meat is a hot food, so eating dog meat during the summer solstice should be done accordingly. Each person's body constitution determines whether they can eat it. Folk opinions are somewhat unscientific. In addition, it is said that due to the mass slaughter of dogs in the local area, some dogs have witnessed the death of their own kind and suffered great fear and psychological torture. The local rabies outbreak rate is also high. It doesn’t matter. The editor reminds us that dogs are human beings’ most loyal friends, and eating dog meat should not be respected. ?

4. Food customs during the summer solstice in Shaoxing, Zhejiang: Yuanzi Jiao?

In the past, people, regardless of whether they were rich or poor, would worship their ancestors on the summer solstice, which was commonly known as "making the summer solstice." In addition to some regular tributes, a plate of pancakes would also be added to the ancestor worship.

After the summer harvest, new wheat is on the market, so it is a custom to eat noodles every day to try new things. Some people use wheat flour to make a paste and spread it into pancakes to bake and eat. ?

“I ate round glutinous rice dumplings during the summer solstice, and the rocks clattered when I stepped on them.” In the past, many farmers would thread the prepared dumplings with bamboo sticks and insert them into the gaps in the paddy fields where water flows. They also burn incense as a sacrifice to pray for a good harvest. Therefore, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province still has the habit of eating round glutinous rice dumplings during the summer solstice. ?

5. ?Summer Solstice Food Customs in Wuxi, Jiangsu: Won Stew

On the Summer Solstice, people in Wuxi, Jiangsu will eat wheat porridge for breakfast and then have won stew for lunch. "Chaos harmony" means. There is also a folk custom of weighing children after eating wonton stew, hoping that the children will gain weight and be healthy. The ancients said that the shape of wonton is "like a chicken egg, rather like the image of chaos in the heaven and earth", and "wonton" is homophonic with "chaos". Pangu opened the sky, and chaos was first divided. Eating wontons can make you wise. When the author was a child, I heard my grandmother say: "Eating wontons on the summer solstice will prevent summer from getting hot." Eating wontons on the summer solstice also contains a good wish to pray for a safe summer. ?

Historical records indicate that in the Song Dynasty palace, every summer solstice, the imperial chefs would make a kind of summer solstice wontons for the emperor, concubines and concubines to eat. In fact, the court of the Song Dynasty not only ate wontons during the summer solstice, but also during the other twenty-three solar terms of the year. Therefore, the court of the Song Dynasty had a famous noodle dish called "Twenty-Four Solar Terms Wontons". Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty was particularly fond of eating wontons. . ?

The methods of making wontons are also different, and the wontons look different. Some look like ingots, and some look like official hats. This is the same as the original meaning of eating wontons: reunion and happiness. The meanings are consistent, expressing a yearning and pursuit of a better life.

In fact, no matter what we eat, everyone’s original intention is the same, to welcome the arrival of the summer solstice and celebrate the arrival of a new day.