Eating jiaozi in the winter of solstice originated from doctor Zhang Zhongjing. When he saw people's ears were frozen in the cold, he used bread to drive away the cold and cooked it into Joule soup to cure people's ears.
On the solstice after winter, the weather is mainly cold, so people often keep warm and nourish yang to resist cold evil. Jiaozi is a delicious food with comprehensive nutrition and easy digestion and absorption. You can stuff mutton, cabbage, green onions, leeks and radishes. These dishes are warm and have a certain warming effect on the human body.
It is said that the custom of eating mutton from winter solstice began in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, ate mutton cooked in Fan Kuai on the solstice of winter, which was particularly delicious and full of praise. Since then, the custom of eating mutton from winter solstice has been formed among the people.
On the solstice of winter, people eat mutton and various nourishing foods one after another in order to have a good omen for the coming year. Now in Tengzhou, Shandong Province, this day is called Jiujiu. Before the festival, the elders will be given mutton and other gifts, and every household will drink mutton soup, which is a good sign for individuals, elders and families.
In winter solstice, different places have different customs. In the north, there are customs of slaughtering sheep, eating jiaozi and eating wonton on the solstice in winter. In the south, there is a custom of eating glutinous rice balls and long noodles from winter solstice, while in Su Beiren, there is a custom of eating fried tofu with green onions from winter solstice. Eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter is also said to be a good deed of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", in "Quhan Joule Decoction". Up to now, there is still a folk song in Nanyang, which is called "jiaozi Bowl, and nobody cares about frozen ears." .