The winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night in China. After the winter solstice, the days will get longer and the nights will get shorter. Therefore, the ancients regarded the winter solstice as the watershed of autumn and winter, and named it after festivals, which were celebrated, commemorated and cherished with various dietary customs.

As for what to eat on the winter solstice, customs vary from place to place.

First, eat tofu. In some areas in the north, the Winter Solstice Festival is called "Tofu Festival". On this festival, every family eats onion mixed with tofu.

Second, eat red bean rice. In Jiangnan water town, on the night of the winter solstice, the family will get together to eat red bean glutinous rice. Why is there this festival food custom? This originated from a fairy tale. The son of the ancient gods who worked together, relying on his father's prestige, did evil everywhere. Death on the winter solstice has turned into a plague, which still harms the people. Plague is most afraid of red beans, so people eat red bean rice at home on the night of the winter solstice to ward off evil spirits, get rid of diseases and prevent plague.

Third, eat jiaozi. The traditional dietary custom of eating jiaozi on the winter solstice is very popular in northwest China. This diet custom is mainly to commemorate the famous doctor Zhang Zhongjing. It is said that one winter, it was freezing, the people were hungry and cold, and their ears were frozen. Zhang Zhongjing led his disciples to set up a cauldron, cooked mutton and cold-dispelling drugs, then took them out and chopped them up, cooked them with ear-shaped "pepper" wrapped in flour bags and distributed them to the people free of charge, which not only cured frostbite, but also relieved hunger. People remember Zhang Zhongjing's kindness and made jiaozi into a "Joule" shape as the staple food of the Winter Solstice Festival.

Fourth, eat jiaozi. "Every family makes dumplings, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty." On the winter solstice, the traditional eating custom in some areas in the south of the Yangtze River is to eat glutinous rice balls. Tangyuan is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour, which is generally called "Yuanxiao" in the north. Eating jiaozi on the winter solstice has obvious implications: "Round" means "reunion" and "perfection". Because jiaozi is eaten on the day of the winter solstice, Jiangnan is also called the "Winter Solstice Group". Fujian and other places eat "winter solstice pills" similar to glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice. "Winter Solstice Pills", also known as "rice balls", are usually stuffed with meat, vegetables, sugar, fruits and beans, which means "reunion and good luck".