An ancient poem said, "Every family beats rice to make glutinous rice balls, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty." Eating glutinous rice balls on the solstice in winter is a traditional custom in China, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". Tangyuan is also called jiaozi, and eating jiaozi on the winter solstice is also called "jiaozi on the winter solstice"; Tangyuan can be used for ancestor worship or as a gift to relatives and friends. In the past, Shanghainese paid the most attention to eating glutinous rice balls. They tasted the newly brewed sweet white wine, flower cakes and glutinous rice balls at the family banquet, and then sacrificed their ancestors with meat pieces. Jiaozi with minced meat is also called "Winter Solstice Pill". Winter solstice food for Han people. Popular in southern China. Every winter solstice (around February 2, 65438+ Gregorian calendar), glutinous rice flour is ground, with sugar, meat, vegetables, fruits, cowpeas, shredded radish and so on. , wrapped into balls, known as the "winter solstice ball", and presented to relatives and friends. There is also a family reunion at breakfast, which means reunion.

Eating jiaozi is also a traditional custom from winter solstice, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. "Tangyuan" is an essential food in winter solstice, and it is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Circle" means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating dumplings on the solstice in winter symbolizes family harmony and auspiciousness, so eating dumplings on the solstice in winter is also called "the solstice group in winter". There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". The winter solstice group can be used to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. In the past, Shanghainese were most particular about eating jiaozi. An ancient poem said, "Every family beats rice to make glutinous rice balls, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty."

Winter sweet pills are usually cooked before dawn. After the family gets up, they should eat a bowl of "Winter Festival Pills". There is a saying in Chaoshan folk that "the Chinese New Year will be celebrated as soon as the winter festival pills are eaten", commonly known as "adding the year", which means that although one year has not passed, everyone has added a year. Children are most eager to eat this bowl of sweet pills, and often wake up at night and ask the morning? However, the sky seems to be joking with the children, and it is always not bright. Therefore, there is a nursery rhyme of "winter festival night, long years, fragrant pills are not cooked". In fact, every year on the solstice of winter, the night is the longest, and after the solstice of winter, it gradually becomes shorter. In the past, in Chaoshan urban and rural areas, it was also customary to worship Commander Gong with sweet glutinous rice balls on the solstice in winter, and to prepare three sacrifices to worship the ancestors to sweep the grave. It was called "winter paper" to sweep the grave on the solstice in winter. Less than three years after death, future generations will "spend the spring paper" and then "spend the winter paper" in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Sweeping graves on the solstice in winter, because there is little rain and plenty of sunshine in winter, it is more convenient to hold ancestor worship activities in Shan Ye, and it is also an outing for entertainment.