What are the customs of the Winter Solstice Festival in the north?

What are the customs of the Winter Solstice Festival in the north? The winter solstice is one of the festivals in our country and one of the twenty-four solar terms. There are festivals on the winter solstice. Some customary activities, so do you know what are the customs of the Northern Winter Solstice Festival? Follow me and take a look. What are the customs of the Winter Solstice Festival in the north 1

Sacrifice

The Winter Solstice Festival is also called the Winter Festival and the Winter Solstice Festival. It is one of the twenty-four solar terms and a traditional festival in China. There was a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as the New Year". The palace and the people have always attached great importance to it, and there have been sacrificial activities since the Zhou Dynasty.

Eating dumplings

On the winter solstice of the lunar calendar every year, whether rich or poor, dumplings are an essential holiday meal. A proverb goes: "On October 1st, when the winter solstice arrives, every household eats dumplings." This custom was left to commemorate the "Medical Saint" Zhang Zhongjing who gave up medicine during the winter solstice.

Eating dumplings during the winter solstice is a sign of remembering the kindness of Zhang Zhongjing, the "Medical Saint", with his "Quhan Jiao Er Soup". To this day, there is still a folk song in Nanyang, "If you don't bring dumpling bowls during the winter solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care".

Jiujiu to eliminate the cold

After entering the Jiujiu period, some literati and scholar-bureaucrats started to engage in so-called cold-relieving activities. They chose a "Nine" day to meet each other. When nine people drink wine ("wine" is a homophony of "jiu"), nine dishes and nine bowls are used on the table, and a "flower nine pieces" table is used to take the meaning of "nine nine" to relieve the cold.

Come; nine-nine plus one-nine, the plowing cattle are everywhere.

What to eat during the Winter Solstice in the North?

1. Wontons

In Beijing, there is a proverb called "Winter Solstice Wontons and Summer Solstice Noodles". In the past, there was a saying in Beijing about eating wontons during the Winter Solstice. Foods such as wontons, which symbolize reunion, are the first choice on the Winter Solstice table. Wonton has many names. Most places such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang call it wonton, while Guangdong calls it wonton, Hubei calls it Baomian, Jiangxi calls it Qingtang, Sichuan calls it Chaoshou, Xinjiang calls it Ququ, etc.

So how did eating wontons come about during the Winter Solstice? According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Huns from the north often harassed the frontiers and the people had no peace. At that time, there were two leaders in the Xiongnu tribe, the Hun clan and the Tun clan, who were very ferocious. The people hated it so much that they used meat fillings to wrap it into wontons and called them "wontons" after taking the sounds of "hun" and "tun". He eats his hatred and hopes to quell the war and live a peaceful life. Because wontons were first made on the winter solstice, every household in Beijing eats wontons on the winter solstice.

2. Dumplings

On the winter solstice among the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar, people in northern my country have a long history of eating dumplings. There are many folk legends about eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice, and the most mainstream theory is that it originated from Zhang Zhongjing.

It is said that Zhang Zhongjing, the medical sage of Nanyang, once served as an official in Changsha. When he retired and returned to his hometown, it was a snowy winter with biting cold wind. He felt very sad when he saw that many villagers' ears were rotten by the frost, so he asked his disciples to set up a medical tent in Guandong, Nanyang, put mutton, pepper and some anti-cold medicinal materials in a pot and cooked them, take them out and chop them into pieces. The dough is wrapped in the shape of ears, then cooked in a pot, and then made into a medicine called "cold-repelling ear-correcting soup" and given to the people. After taking it, the villagers' ears were cured. Later generations learned the "ear-correcting" look and wrapped it into food, also called "dumplings" or "flat food".

3. Mutton

Since the winter solstice, people have begun to "count nine" from this day. For ordinary people, there is nothing more important than eating during the Winter Solstice. In the north, there is a custom of eating mutton during the winter solstice, because after the winter solstice the weather enters the coldest period. At this time, eating a pot of stewed mutton has the dual effect of keeping out the cold and nourishing.

Mutton is warm in nature, can resist wind and cold, nourish the body, and is effective in treating symptoms such as wind-cold asthma, impotence due to kidney deficiency, Qi and blood deficiency, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, cold limbs and abdominal pain, and yellowish complexion and thin skin. In winter, the body's yang energy is stored in the body, and kidney yang is insufficient. Symptoms such as cold hands and feet, lackluster appearance, and physical weakness are prone to occur. Mutton is sweet but not greasy, warm in nature but not dry, and has always been regarded as a good food for tonifying yang. Eating properly in winter can effectively alleviate the above symptoms.

4. Dog meat

Many places in the north have the custom of eating dog meat during the winter solstice. The custom of eating dog meat during the Winter Solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the day of the winter solstice. He thought it tasted particularly delicious and was full of praise. Since then, the folk custom of eating dog meat during the winter solstice has been formed. Nowadays, people eat dog meat, mutton and various nutritious foods on the day of the winter solstice in order to have a good omen in the coming year.

Some people with weak constitutions and people suffering from arthritis and other diseases will benefit from eating more dog meat during the severe winter. However, it is not advisable to blindly eat dog meat to avoid eating rabies meat and contracting rabies. Dog meat is a hot food, so it is not advisable to eat too much at one time. People suffering from non-deficiency-cold sexually transmitted diseases such as cough, cold, fever, diarrhea, yin deficiency and excess fire should not eat it.

The benefits of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice

From the perspective of cooking science, steaming dumplings uses water (steam) as the medium of cooking, and the temperature is only about 100 degrees Celsius to cook the food. It can also be disinfected and sterilized, avoiding the generation of strong carcinogens such as benzopyrene under barbecue and frying conditions, ensuring food safety. Moreover, the nutrients of food will not be lost due to peroxidation or hydrolysis during the cooking process.

From the perspective of dietary structure, the fillings of dumplings are all wrapped in dough, which can achieve an appropriate combination of cereals, vegetables, fruits, and meat, making the main and non-staple foods reasonable, nutritious, and acid-base balanced. Meal pagoda-shaped structure.

From a nutritional point of view, steaming and cooking dumplings with water (steam) as the heat transfer medium can fully decompose the starch polysaccharides in the food and facilitate absorption by the human body. It is suitable for Chinese people’s stomach and eating habits. It is in line with the health-preserving principles of "eating and drinking in moderation", "harmonizing the five flavors" and "harmonizing the skills". What are the customs of the Winter Solstice Festival in the north 2

1. Painting Nine

The so-called Painting Nine is actually a picture for calculating the date of spring warmth after the winter solstice. The Ming Dynasty's "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" records: "On the winter solstice, I painted a plain plum branch with eighty-one petals. When the sun dyes one petal, when all the petals are gone and ninety-nine come out, spring is deep, and it is called the ninety-nine to relieve the cold." The "Nine-Nine Cold-repelling Picture" has three patterns, namely words, circles and plum blossoms.

2. Brew rice wine

Traditional Gusu people will drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice. Winter wine is brewed with glutinous rice or yellow rice and added with osmanthus. .

3. Eating glutinous rice balls

Eating glutinous rice balls is a traditional custom during the Winter Solstice, especially popular in Jiangnan. "Tangyuan" is an essential food during the Winter Solstice. "Yuan" means "reunion" and "completeness". Eating glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice is also called "Winter Solstice Yuan". There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls makes you one year older".

4. Eat roasted pork and ginger rice

In some places in the south, roasted pork is eaten on the winter solstice. On the winter solstice, the dried roasted pork It has become an indispensable delicacy on the dining tables of Guangdong and Guangxi, which means adding dishes to add years. On the winter solstice, Wuchuan people have a custom of "eating ginger rice" during the winter solstice.

5. Eating dumplings

In many areas of northern my country, there is a custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice every year. People in northern my country eat dumplings on this day because dumplings have the meaning of "repelling cold". There is still a folk proverb "If you don't bring dumpling bowls during the winter solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care". What are the customs of the Northern Winter Solstice Festival 3

Special activities of the Winter Solstice - Sacrifice to Heaven

According to existing writings, sacrifices have been held on the Winter Solstice (November) since the Zhou Dynasty. activities. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a custom of worshiping the sky during the winter solstice. The sacrifice expressed the ancients' desire to pray for good weather for the world, and also reflected their respect and awe for heaven and nature. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was regarded as the winter festival, and the government held a congratulatory ceremony called Hedong, which was a routine holiday. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice and the beginning of the year were equally important. Meng Yuanlao of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote in "Tokyo Menghua Lu": "The winter solstice is November. The capital attaches great importance to this festival. Even the poorest people accumulate money and borrow money during the year. On this day, they change new clothes, prepare food and drink, and enjoy sacrifices to their ancestors. Official release "Guan Pu, celebrating the coming and going, just like the New Year"

Special activities of the Winter Solstice - Counting Nine

Folks call the Winter Solstice Jiujiu or Counting Nine, which means starting from the Winter Solstice. From the beginning of the day, counting nine days back, the weather will change from the cold of winter solstice to the warmth of spring. After the winter solstice, counting ninety-nine is very popular all over the country. People in various places have compiled various proverbs and jingles for counting ninety-nine based on different climate conditions, scenery characteristics, agricultural weather and customs. The Ming Dynasty's "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" records: "On the winter solstice, I painted a branch of plum blossom with eighty-nine petals. When all the petals are gone and ninety-nine come out, spring is deep, which is called the ninety-nine to relieve the cold." The "Nine-Nine Cold-repelling Picture" has three patterns, namely words, circles and plum blossoms.

Special activities of the Winter Solstice - Shoe Giving

During the Winter Solstice Festival, people have the habit of giving shoes to children, mainly to hope that the children will grow up healthily. In the past, it was mainly hand embroidery. As gifts for boys, hats are often made in the shape of tigers or dogs, and the embroideries on their shoes are also beasts. As gifts for girls, hats are often made in the shape of a phoenix, and shoes are often embroidered with flowers and birds. This custom is still practiced in many places today, but most of them are purchased from the market, and the form follows the trend of the times. When we visit each other during the holidays, the children will be complimented on their new shoes.