Since the winter solstice, the days are getting longer and longer. Folks take the shadow of the sun in front of noon as the benchmark and say, "After winter, a onion grows every day". Therefore, it is also called "long to". Since the Han and Tang dynasties, ladies-in-waiting have used one more thread every day after the winter solstice. This is what the folks say, "After eating the winter solstice meal, the line grows one day." Since the winter solstice, people often draw a plum blossom with 81 petals on it, which is called "Jiujiu Cold Relief Map". Every day, one petal is painted in red, and it will be "Jiujiu", so the winter solstice is also called "Counting Nine". "Winter solstice wonton and summer solstice noodles", a considerable part of Shandong province will eat wonton or dumplings this day. Some even drink. It is said that drinking is to warm the body. Eating jiaozi is afraid of freezing your ears. "Dumplings" is homophonic for "rubber ears". Linyi, Zoucheng and Xintai have the custom of steaming winter. Linyi steamed corn bread with whole grains, and Zoucheng steamed bread. It is said that steaming winter is to pray that there will be wind in the coming year. The folk song says: "Steaming in winter, steaming in winter, there is wind in the field." In ancient times, steaming winter was to celebrate the sun solstice, and after the winter solstice, the sun was born, just as Du Fu wrote in his poem, "The sun is born in the winter solstice and spring comes again." People use glutinous rice flour to make rice balls, which are called Tuanjiezi or Winter Solstice Ball to symbolize reunion. Bobo and steamed buns are the evolution of reunion. Ancient times attached great importance to the winter solstice. The ancients thought that the winter solstice was a chance for chaos and recovery. Celebration ceremonies have been held since the Han Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. The day before the winter solstice is called a small solstice or a small winter, and the winter solstice is called a long solstice or a big winter. The day after the winter solstice is called after the solstice. On the third day of the festival, hundreds of officials greet each other, but you don't listen to the government. On the third day, the people are closed and the students have a holiday. The folk song says that "the winter solstice is as big as a year", so in the old days, Lijin, Xiajin and other places were also called subannual and off-year, which was similar to the Spring Festival, except that there was no New Year greeting. In Jinan, Jiyang, Fushan and other places, the government celebrates like the Spring Festival, and scholars also give each other congratulatory films. The scholar-bureaucrat class in Juxian held a reception, which was called the "Cold Elimination Meeting" and drew a "Cold Elimination Map". Zoucheng painted nine-nine pictures, and at the same time, relatives and friends gave each other warm appliances, while farm children played games of "taking a village" and "beating tiles". Teenagers began to learn martial arts, which was called "watching the winter", but they did not have the habit of congratulating each other. It is said that Mencius died on the winter solstice, and the villagers were very sad, so they abolished the ceremony to celebrate the winter solstice. In other parts of Shandong, there is a general custom that students worship teachers and younger generations worship their elders, and farmers have a custom of worshipping their ancestors. Linyi folk believe that the winter solstice is a day to send cold clothes and fix houses for the dead. Every household cuts clothes with fire paper, burns them in front of the tomb, and then adds soil. Juxian county worships its ancestors in the ancestral hall, and the ceremony is very grand. It is an old custom in Laoshan County that the winter solstice is divided into two days. The first day is called "Ghost Winter", which is offered to worship ancestors and eat dumplings. The next day is called "human winter" and we eat steamed stuffed buns. Women in Linyi, Licheng, Linqu and other places are used to going back to their parents' homes. Qingyun and Wudi began to cellar vegetables from this day, and women began to sew. Zoucheng began to build cellars, weave mats and spin yarns. Rizhao folklore If the clouds meet the sunrise and the clouds meet the sunset on the winter solstice, it will be a good year in the coming year. According to the date of the winter solstice, Jimo people predict the cold and warmth of the winter in that year at the beginning, middle or late of the month. The folk song says: "Winter freezes cows at the head, winter is warm in the middle, and winter freezes ghosts at the end." The winter solstice festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since. Qing Jia Lu even says that the winter solstice is as big as a year. This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People think that the winter solstice is a natural transformation of yin and yang, and it is a blessing given by heaven. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was the "winter festival", and the government held a congratulatory ceremony called "He Dong", which was a routine holiday. There is such a record in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Before and after the Winter Solstice, a gentleman lived in peace, refused to listen to politics, chose auspicious days and then saved trouble." Therefore, on this day, the court will have a holiday and rest, the army will be on standby, the frontier fortress will be closed, business trips will be closed, relatives and friends will give each other food, visit each other, and have a "quiet" festival happily. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the winter solstice was a day to worship the ancestors. On this day, the emperor went to the suburbs to hold a ceremony to worship the heavens. On this day, the people had to worship their parents. Now there are still some places that celebrate the winter solstice. The winter solstice (December 21st or 22nd in the Gregorian calendar) is the beginning of the ninth lunar month. The ancients thought that it was a lucky day when the day was getting longer and the yang was rising on the winter solstice. Therefore, it is worth celebrating. Emperors in Ming and Qing dynasties had ceremonies to worship heaven, which were called "the suburbs of winter solstice". In the palace, there is a ceremony for hundreds of officials to present congratulations to the emperor, and they also have to stab each other to congratulate each other, just like New Year's Day. But the folks don't take the winter solstice as a festival, but there are some timely activities. In the Qing Dynasty, some flag bearers prayed for disaster relief. At five o'clock on the winter solstice, we invite our first cousins and close friends to gather in the courtyard and sit on the floor, offering a low table for "heaven and earth yards" or memorial tablets to kill pigs and sacrifice to heaven. By the way, sacrifice the "ancestor pole" (a flagpole with a height of two or three feet, the top of which is gourd-shaped, and the lower part is "Diao Dou", and the flag is hung under the bucket to represent the ancestors). After the sacrifice, relatives and friends sit around and eat "white meat", which is called "God's surplus". Southerners are visiting in Beijing, and some hold banquets to worship their ancestors. At the same time, colleagues or close friends are also invited to have dinner and meals together. Yan customs are not important for winter sacrifices. Old Beijingers don't want to do this. On the day of the Winter Solstice, there was a grand Dharma Meeting on all avenues in the capital. Taoist priest swished scriptures and went to the table to celebrate the birthday of the Buddha at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. According to Taoism, the Buddha at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty symbolizes the first century in which chaos has not been divided and Tao has not been manifested. Therefore, people have the custom of eating Kun Tun. "Yanjing Years Old" says: "The shape of husband's wonton is like a chicken egg, which is quite like the chaos of heaven and earth, so it is eaten on the winter solstice." In fact, "wet wonton" and "chaos" are homophonic, so people extend eating wonton to break the chaos and open up the world. Later generations no longer explain its original meaning, but spread the proverb of "Winter Solstice Wonton and Summer Solstice Noodles", treating it simply as a seasonal diet. After the "Nine-Year Plan to Eliminate Cold" came into being in September, some scholars and literati flocked to engage in so-called activities to eliminate cold. They chose a "nine-day" to meet nine people for drinking ("wine" is homophonic with "nine"), with nine dishes and nine bowls at the table, and those who became tables used "nine flowers" to get the meaning of "nine-year plan to eliminate cold". It is also popular among the people to fill out the 99-99 map to eliminate cold for recreation. The 99-Year Cold Relief Map is usually a double-hook calligraphy with the traditional characters of "weeping willows in front of the court cherish the spring breeze", with nine strokes for each word and eighty-one strokes for * * *. From the winter solstice, a stroke is filled every day according to the stroke order, and a word is filled every September, until the spring returns to the earth after 99, a 99-Year Cold Relief Map is considered to be completed. The color used to fill every day's strokes is determined according to the weather of that day, and it is red if it is sunny; Yin is blue; Rain is green; The wind is yellow; Snow falls and fills in the white. In addition, there is a picture version of the 99-99 cold elimination map, also known as the "elegant map", which draws nine cold plums on white paper, one for 19 and one for one day, and fills a plum blossom with a specific color every day according to the weather. Yang Yunfu of the Yuan Dynasty recorded in Luanjing Zayong: "Try to count the nine-nine pictures between windows, and the remaining cold will disappear and warm back to the beginning. There is no white plum blossom, and I see that it is an apricot plant at present. " The most elegant picture of eliminating cold in 1999 is a nine-body couplet. Nine words in each couplet, nine strokes in each word, and one stroke in the upper and lower couplets every day. For example, the upper couplet reads "Spring springs hang down, spring blooms and spring blooms"; The second couplet is called "Autumn Persimmon Hanging in Autumn Courtyard to Send Autumn Fragrance in Autumn", which is called "99 Cold Eliminating and Spring Welcoming". However, no matter what kind of "99-99" map, it simply records the meteorological changes while killing time and entertaining the body and mind. It is said that experienced old people can also infer the amount and abundance of rain this year according to the map of eliminating cold in 1999. Winter Solstice-Improper jiaozi Bowl, No one cares about the winter solstice of the lunar calendar every year. No matter how rich or poor, jiaozi is an essential holiday meal. As the saying goes, "On October 1st, when the winter solstice comes, every family eats dumplings." This custom was left in memory of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", who gave up medicine on the winter solstice. Zhang Zhongjing is a native of Gedong, Nanyang. He wrote Treatise on Febrile Diseases, which is a masterpiece of doctors and is regarded as a classic by doctors of all ages. Zhang Zhongjing has a famous saying: "If you advance, you will save the world; if you retreat, you will save the people;" You can't be a good doctor, but also a good doctor. " In the Eastern Han Dynasty, he served as the prefect of Changsha, visiting the sick and applying medicine, and practicing medicine in the lobby. Later, he resolutely resigned and returned to his hometown to treat his neighbors. When he returned home, it was winter. He saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River were sallow and emaciated, hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frozen. He asked his disciples to set up a medical shed and a cauldron in Dongguan, Nanyang, and give up "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction" to cure chilblain on the day of the winter solstice. He boiled mutton, peppers and some herbs for dispelling cold in a pot, then fished out the mutton and medicines and chopped them, and made them into ear-like "jiao-er" with bread. After cooking, he distributed two "jiao-er" and a big bowl of broth to everyone who came to ask for medicine. People ate "Jiao Er" and drank "Quhan Tang", and they were warm all over, with fever in both ears and frostbitten ears cured. Later generations learned the look of "Jiao Er" and packaged it into food, also called "jiaozi" or "flat food". Eating jiaozi on the winter solstice is not forgetting the kindness of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", in "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction". Up to now, there is still a folk song in Nanyang, which says, "The winter solstice misbehaves the jiaozi bowl, and nobody cares if you freeze your ears.". Xi Shi Huan Sha Suzhou people celebrate the winter solstice-eating chaos and recalling Xi Shi. Suzhou was the capital of the State of Wu 2,5 years ago, and the ancestors of the State of Wu, Taibo and Zhongyong, were descendants of King Tai of Zhou Dynasty. They once took the winter solstice as the beginning of the year, so the ancient city of Suzhou still has the legacy of "the winter solstice is as big as a year", and the menu of the winter solstice night every year is even more exquisite, which continues the profound customs of Wu, forming a relationship with it. In the supermarkets in the streets of Suzhou, the ancient city, winter wine is piled up like a "hill". Winter wine brewed only once a year, osmanthus is fragrant, sweet and refreshing. There is a saying in Suzhou since ancient times that if you don't drink winter wine on the winter solstice, you will be frozen overnight. When the "Old Suzhou" came home, the "Round Night Dinner" set on the table was not only rich but also meaningful. Whether it was a cold pot of hot fried fish or poultry, it was renamed as "auspicious dish", "Yuanbao" (egg dumplings), "Reunion" (meatballs), "chicken" (flapping) and "golden chain" (pink chain) Since ancient times, Taihu Lake has been rich in rice, and cakes made of glutinous rice flour are the most distinctive and common snacks in the area. Round winter solstice dumplings are a must-have snack during the dinner. It is said that in Suzhou, Lantern Festival in January, backing cakes in February, green dumplings in March, fairy cakes in April 14th, fried dumplings with minced meat in May, thank-stove dumplings in June 24th, cowpea cakes in July, sweet dumplings in August, double ninth festival cakes in September, radish dumplings in October, winter solstice dumplings in November, and osmanthus flowers in December. It is said that Suzhou people still have the custom of eating wonton on the winter solstice. According to legend, at a banquet in the Spring and Autumn Period in Wuyue, the prince of Wu who was tired of eating delicacies lost his appetite, so beauty Xi Shi went into the imperial kitchen and wrapped up a dustpan-style snack for him. The king of Wu ate a big bowl in one breath and repeatedly asked, "What kind of snack is this, so delicious?" Xi Shi thought, "The muddled monarch can't get away from chaos, so he casually replied," Chaos. " In order to commemorate the wisdom and creation of Xi Shi, Suzhou people designated it as the appropriate food for the Winter Solstice Festival. "Tonifying in winter solstice and killing tigers in spring" is a folk saying widely spread in Wu. Suzhou people have also started a big tonic since the winter solstice, and it has also formed the highest peak of eating mutton after autumn. The mutton business of Wuzhong Cangshu Mutton Store, which is well-known at home and abroad, has prospered a lot at once. The owner of a small mutton store with books revealed that his mutton store can sell eight sheep in the winter solstice. For the eaters, whether it is burning, stewing, stewing or cooking, it is both delicious and healthy, which is really a good thing to kill two birds with one stone. Mutton powder soup Ningxia: There is a custom in Yinchuan to eat "brains" on the winter solstice. On this day of the winter solstice, we drink powder soup and eat mutton powder soup jiaozi. Yinchuan people gave mutton powder soup an odd name-"brain" on the winter solstice. On the fifth watch, the master got busy early, washed and boiled the purple mushrooms on Songshan, and fished them out after cooking; Stir-fry diced mutton in a pan, stir-fry with ginger, onion, garlic and Chili noodles after steam drying, add chopped mushrooms to diced mutton and stir-fry, then marinate with vinegar (to remove the toxic smell of wild mushrooms), and then add blended noodles, refined salt and soy sauce; After the meat is rotten, stir-fry the auricularia auricula and lily (day lily) slightly, add the clear mushroom soup, boil the soup, put it into the cut pieces and soaked vermicelli, and then add leek, garlic sprout and coriander, so as to make a pot of mutton powder soup. This pot of soup is red with pepper, yellow with day lily, green with garlic sprouts and coriander, white with vermicelli and vermicelli, black with mushrooms and fungus, red, yellow, green, white and black. The aroma is delicious and makes people drool. On the winter solstice, the common people call it Ghost Festival. After jiaozi prepares the noodle soup, he will serve a bowl first, and also serve a bowl to his neighbors. I can't eat jiaozi in the morning, so I buy three-pointed cakes and fennel cakes soaked in powder soup. Jiaozi stuffed with mutton powder soup and radish is a common meal for Yinchuan people, but foreigners are full of praise when they eat it. It is rare to see such a spicy and delicious jiaozi in other places, which can be regarded as a special snack in Yinchuan. Fujian: "winter solstice" rubbing pills "winter solstice frost, moonlight; Bai Yehong, meatball holding. " This is a children's song on the winter solstice. "Eight Min Tongzhi Xinghua House Customs Winter Solstice" contains: "In the early stage, glutinous rice was a pill, which was early in the day, and it was recommended for ancestral examination." This is the folk custom of "winter solstice", "rubbing balls" and offering sacrifices to ancestors with ripe "sweet balls" early in the winter solstice. The night before the winter solstice, it is called "winter solstice". On this evening, red candles are brightly lit in every hall, and the lights are like day, which means brilliant career. On the table, red oranges are regarded as "fruit yue" (that is, red oranges are stacked into small mountains, hence the name). A piece of "Sanchun" (that is, the paper flowers of Fu Lushou cut by folk paper cutters with red paper) was inserted into the top layer of red oranges, and a pair of chopsticks (ten pairs) with red paper strips around their waists, ginger and sugar, respectively. The family washed their hands, and the parents lit candles and incense, set off firecrackers and began to "rub pills". The "balls" you rub are white. If you are newly married, you rub red balls to show that your family will be more prosperous. At this time, the woman put on a red shirt and shone brightly in the light. The children were smiling and innocent. Everyone gathered around the big dustpan (commonly called "Dai Li Arc"), and the children sat on high stools, "eager to try". Housewives add boiled water to knead the ground glutinous rice powder (commonly called "rice sacrifice") into round strips, pick them into large round blanks, and then rub them into "balls" the size of longan kernels with their palms. This is the "winter solstice rubbing pills". Among them, the most interesting ones are: some adults are pinching ingots and cornucopia; Some are pinching puppies and piglets, taking the common sayings of "Lucky, paparazzi win the treasure" and "Be a dog, a pig, and a treasure", which means "rich in financial resources and prosperous in six animals". Children are most interested in puppies and piglets, cheering "Grandpa is making a dog", "Dad is making a dog" and "Mom and Grandma are making pigs!" The whole family burst into laughter. Some rub "magpie pills" (commonly called "guest bird pills") that are only the size of beans. The children are always rubbing around, some are flat and some are long, and even he feels funny. Some people put rice sacrifices on their eyebrows and noses, which is really ridiculous and lovely. If the child drops the meatballs on the ground, ask the child to pick them up and blow off the dust, otherwise, they will grow ugly in the future. Its meaning is to educate children to cherish food from an early age. After "rubbing pills", put the "balls" in the "Daili solitary", put the lid on, and put them in front of the stove for the night. The night on the winter solstice is the longest, and children love to eat meatball soup. When they can't sleep, they clamor for their mother to eat meatball soup before dawn. Therefore, there is a nursery rhyme of "Love meatball soup and hope for it before dawn". Housewives pour "meatballs" into the pot, and add water with ginger and sugar (ginger and sugar can dispel cold and stimulate appetite) to make sweet, sweet, sticky and hot "sweet meatball soup". After offering it to the ancestors, the whole family shared it. It is necessary to stick "meatballs" on the doorframe to worship "mencheng households"