In northern China, there is a saying that "Solstice Noodle in Winter and Solstice Noodle in Summer in jiaozi". Why eat jiaozi on this day? Jiaozi, formerly known as Joule, is said to have been invented by Zhang Zhongjing, a doctor in China, with a history of 1800 years.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing, a famous doctor, saw that many poor people were hungry and cold, and their ears were frozen rotten, so he invented jiaozi soup for dispelling cold. He cooked mutton, peppers and some herbs for dispelling cold in a pot, then took out these things and chopped them, and wrapped the noodles into "jiaozi" in the shape of ears. After cooking, distribute it to patients, each with 20 cents and a bowl of soup. After eating Quhan decoction, people have fever all over, blood is smooth, and their ears get warmer. The patient's rotten ears will be cured in a while.

Zhang Zhongjing didn't give up medicine until New Year's Eve. On the first day of the new year, people celebrate the new year and the recovery of rotten ears. The food they cook is like burnt ears, which are called "Jiao Er" and "jiaozi". Since then, the story of "Quhan Joule Decoction" has been widely circulated among the people. On the solstice of winter and the first day of New Year's Day, people eat jiaozi, and they still remember Zhang Zhongjing's kindness in their hearts. Therefore, there is a saying that eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter won't freeze your ears.

Suzhou people eat wonton and commemorative stones in winter.

Suzhou was the capital of the State of Wu 2,500 years ago. The ancestor of the State of Wu was a descendant of King Tai of Zhou. He inherited the calendar of the Zhou Dynasty and started the year from winter to Sunday. Up to now, the ancient city of Suzhou still has the custom of "the winter solstice is as big as a year".

In winter solstice, Suzhou people also have the custom of eating wonton. According to legend, the prince of Wu was tired of eating delicacies and had no appetite, so the beauty Xi went into the chef and packed a 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?" Stone thought, "The confused monarch can't get rid of chaos, so he casually replied," Chaos. Later, in order to commemorate the delicious food created, Suzhou people designated wonton as the food for the winter festival.

Ningxia should eat "brain pulp" from winter solstice

There is a custom in Yinchuan on the solstice of winter. On this day, you should drink noodle soup and eat mutton noodle soup jiaozi. Yinchuan people also gave mutton powder soup a special name-"brain tonic soup". Mutton powder soup is made of mushrooms and mutton, and the seasonings are salt, ginger, onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce and so on. After the soup is boiled, add the sliced meat and soaked vermicelli, then add leeks, garlic sprouts and coriander, and a pot of colorful mutton powder soup is ready, with a fragrant smell and mouth watering.

After jiaozi made the noodle soup, he first filled a bowl and then a bowl for his neighbor. Jiaozi's mutton powder soup is unique, spicy and delicious. Now it has become a special snack in Yinchuan.

Sacrificing ancestors and eating sugar pills in Chaoshan area from winter solstice

In Chaoshan area, winter solstice, also known as "Little Lunar New Year", is a major folk festival. On this day, ordinary people should prepare enough meat and fruit such as pork, chicken and fish, go to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, and then the family will gather around the table for dinner. In coastal areas, fishermen must worship their ancestors, pray for the fishermen and ask the gods and ancestors to bless their safe return from the sea before going fishing.

There is a saying in Chaoshan that "one year after eating Winter Festival Yuan", in which "Winter Festival Yuan" is glutinous rice balls, which is also called sweet pills in Chaoshan area. The custom of eating sugar pills from winter solstice is almost common in Chaoshan area. A long time ago, these sweet pills were not only used for eating, but also attached to the roof and beams of their homes. First of all, the sweet pill is round, which indicates a bumper harvest and family reunion in the coming year. Secondly, they are used to thank mice for sending grain seeds to farmers. Nowadays, people don't eat sweet pills, but the custom of eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice is still popular today.

Eat red beans and glutinous rice at the winter solstice festival in Jiangnan water town

In the water town in the south of China, there is a custom that the whole family get together to eat red beans and glutinous rice on the night of winter solstice.

According to legend, the people who worked together died from the winter solstice, and after their death, they became epidemic ghosts, which continued to harm the people. However, the ghost of the epidemic is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red beans and glutinous rice in winter solstice to resist the ghost of the epidemic and prevent disasters.

Everyone eats glutinous rice balls on the solstice in winter in Shanghai.

In the old days, there was a poem on the beach: "Every family made rice buns in jiaozi, knowing that it was the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty." Shanghainese are used to eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival of the winter solstice. Dough is made of glutinous rice flour and covered with various fillings. The prepared jiaozi is used to worship ancestors and give to relatives and friends.

People in Hangzhou eat rice cakes three times a day.

People in Hangzhou like to eat rice cakes on the solstice in winter to celebrate. Every winter solstice, cakes are made to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. In the diet, three meals will make different flavors of rice cakes, such as rice cakes mixed with sesame powder and sugar, fried rice cakes with shredded pork and so on. People in Hangzhou eat rice cakes on the solstice in winter for good luck, which means getting old.

Various winter solstice eating customs in China are still widely spread today, which is enough to show the important influence of this day on people's farming, work and life. Indeed, when winter comes, the solstice is the cathode and the sun is the spirit. After that, there were slight cold, severe cold and the number of nine, which indicated that the coldest day of the year was coming. Therefore, we should pay more attention to keep warm in winter and after, and eat more warm food in our diet to enhance our ability to keep out the cold.