1. Dumplings: Winter Solstice is here, eat dumplings!

Dumplings are one of the indispensable foods during the Winter Solstice.

Every year on the winter solstice of the lunar calendar, dumplings are an essential holiday meal for everyone, rich or poor.

As the saying goes: On October 1st, when the winter solstice arrives, every household eats dumplings.

This custom was left behind in memory of the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing who gave up medicine during the winter solstice.

Eating dumplings during the winter solstice is to remember the kindness of "Medical Saint" Zhang Zhongjing's "Quhan Jiao Er Soup".

To this day, there is still a folk saying in many places that "if you don't bring dumpling bowls during the winter solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care".

2. Tangyuan As for the food on the Winter Solstice, the customs of the north and the south are different. The north usually eats wontons and dumplings, while the south has the habit of eating glutinous rice balls.

Eating glutinous rice balls during the winter solstice is especially popular in Jiangnan.

There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls makes you one year older".

Tangyuan is also called glutinous rice balls, and eating glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice is also called "winter solstice dumplings".

According to records from the Qing Dynasty, people in the south of the Yangtze River made dough with glutinous rice flour and stuffed it with meat, apples, bean paste, shredded radish, etc.

The Winter Solstice group can be used to worship ancestors, and can also be used to exchange gifts with relatives and friends.

3. Egg Noodles “If you eat Winter Solstice noodles, you will grow taller every day.”

Eating Winter Solstice noodles is a custom during the Winter Solstice in northern Anhui.

"Winter Solstice Noodles", commonly known as "Dried Noodles", is one of the types of noodles and is traditionally handmade by local people.

The hand-made noodles are very particular in their production. They are made from high-quality wheat, and are supplemented with refined salt, eggs and other natural raw materials. They go through 8 processes including mixing, rising, plate, hanging and pulling, and take half a day to finally take shape.

In Hefei, Anhui Province, the custom of eating noodles during the winter solstice is related to solar terms, climate, and farming.

After the winter solstice, it is time to count the nine cold days, and count one nine every nine days.

In the harsh winter when dripping water turns into ice, eating a bowl of hot egg noodles is a perfect way to celebrate the winter solstice.

4. Mutton Soup The custom of eating mutton 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 the mutton 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 mutton during the Winter Solstice has been formed.

People eat mutton and various nutritious foods on the day of the winter solstice in order to have a good omen in the coming year.

Now in Tengzhou, Shandong Province, this day is called Shujiu. Before the festival, gifts such as mutton are given to the elders. Every family on Shujiu drinks mutton soup, which bodes well for the individual, the elders and the family.