The meaning of Lidong is the beginning of winter. Dumplings are eaten on Lidong in honor of Zhang Zhongjing, the "Sage of Healing", and to prevent the cold of winter.

Lidong is the first solar term of winter. At this time, fall leaves the stage and cold weather begins. The sun reaches 22.5 degrees east longitude. In short, it refers to the beginning of winter, meaning that fall leaves us and crops are harvested. This is how the ancients described the sights of the first winter: "The water begins to freeze in the first wait, the ground begins to freeze in the second wait, and the pheasant entering the water in the third wait is a mirage." It shows how rivers freeze and birds disappear in winter. Winter is also one of the seasonal nodes that the Chinese place great importance on. It is a season to enjoy harvest and recuperation. By recuperating in winter, we look forward to a prosperous life in the coming year. Lidong is one of the "four eight festivals" in ancient societies, and it is a very important festival. Some regions of China have customs such as ancestor worship and feasts.

The understanding of "winter" can't be confined to the meaning of winter. Tracing back to the roots, the ancient understanding of "ritual" and modern people are the same, that is, "standing" and "rise". However, the word "winter" is not as simple as that. In the ancient book "The Seventy-two Waiting Periods of the Moon Order", the interpretation of "winter" is: "Winter is the end of the year, and everything is gathered." This means that the year's work in the fields is over, the fall crops have been harvested and dried, "there is grain in the granary and vegetables in the cellar," and the animals are all hidden and ready to hibernate.

Lidong is the 19th solar term, and the first to establish winter. It marks the beginning of winter when the sun reaches 225 degrees longitude around Nov. 7 or 8 each year. In ancient times, the beginning of winter meant "the beginning," and "winter," as the end, referred to the harvesting of crops at the end of the year.

Eating dumplings on the winter solstice is said to be in honor of the winter solstice medicine left behind by the "Sage of Medicine" Zhang Zhongjing. Zhang Zhongjing returned to his hometown many years ago, and when typhoid fever was prevalent in Nanyang, the Sage treated the villagers' frostbitten ears. In the middle of winter, the north wind blew like the blade of a razor, hurting the face, and the whistle that rolled around on the ground was like a sharp silver needle sticking in people's ears. "The winter does not end of the dumpling bowl, freezing off the ear no one care", the winter to eat dumplings has become a festive dietary customs.

Dietary precautions for winter

1. Proper supplementation. Be careful to increase the daily diet rich in sugar, fat, protein, vitamins, sodium, potassium, calcium and other nutrients. 2. Eat a light diet. Diet should be light, eat less fried food, eat more fruits and vegetables, avoid warm and dry, spicy and stimulating things. Winter diets are nutritionally characterized by increased calories, so you can choose foods with higher fat content. 3. Drink plenty of water. Although sweating and urination will decrease in winter, the cells of the brain and body organs still need water to work properly. The daily water supply in winter should be no less than 2,000 ~ 3,000 milliliters.