The summer solstice is an important solar term and an important traditional folk festival in China, which falls on June 21st or 22nd every year. On this day, there are different customs all over the country. What to eat in the summer solstice and "eating" is one of the important ways for China people to celebrate. Haxiu Xiaobian will take stock of different summer solstice eating customs all over the country, including your hometown customs.

In the summer solstice, the position where the sun shines directly on the ground reaches the northernmost point of the year, almost directly on the Tropic of Cancer. At this time, the daytime in the northern hemisphere reaches the longest, and the farther north it goes, the longer it is. The summer solstice is one of the important traditional festivals. China people can't live without eating. Of course, the summer solstice also needs traditional food. It's always a tradition in China to eat healthy and combine diet with health. Today, all kinds of interesting summer solstice holiday eating customs are still preserved all over the country.

1. Eating noodles during the summer solstice in Beijing

It's a custom in old Beijing to start eating lettuce and cold noodles from the summer solstice every year. Eating these raw and cold foods can effectively reduce the fire and stimulate appetite, but it won't damage your health because it is too cold. Therefore, whenever the summer solstice approaches, cold noodles and other foods begin to sell.

2. Eating dumplings on the summer solstice in Shaoxing, Zhejiang

In previous times, people, rich or poor, sacrificed their ancestors on the summer solstice, commonly known as "making the summer solstice". In addition to some regular tributes, a plate of thin silk cakes was specially added to sacrifice their ancestors. After the summer harvest, new wheat is on the market, so it is a custom to eat noodles every day and try new ones. Some people mix them with wheat flour and spread them into pancakes for baking cooked food.

"In the summer solstice, when you eat a round paste, you will tread on a stone." In the past, many farmers would put a bamboo stick on it, insert it in the gap of the paddy field and burn incense as a sacrifice to pray for a bumper harvest. Therefore, Shaoxing, Zhejiang still has the habit of eating round paste on the summer solstice.

3. People in Wuxi, Jiangsu eat wonton stew on the summer solstice.

On the summer solstice, people in Wuxi, Jiangsu eat porridge for breakfast and then wonton stew for lunch, which means "chaos and harmony". There is also a folk custom of weighing children after eating wonton stew, hoping that children will gain weight and be healthy.

4. Eating dog meat on the summer solstice in Lingnan

Dog meat has always been a nourishing product among the people, and there is a habit of eating dog meat on the summer solstice in Lingnan. "Eating dog on the summer solstice means that if you eat dog meat on the summer solstice, your body will be strong enough to resist the invasion of the west wind and the bad rain, and your body will be healthier.

Besides eating dog meat, there is also the habit of eating lychee. Cantonese in Guangzhou and Qinzhou and Yulin in Guangxi like eating dog meat and lychee on the summer solstice very much, and they are not hot together. However, Ha Xiu Xiaobian reminds here that dogs are the most loyal friends of human beings, and eating dog meat should not be respected. Eating a lot of litchi is easy to cause hypoglycemia, that is, "litchi disease", so it must be moderate.

5. Eating cold noodles on the summer solstice in Shandong

On this day of the summer solstice, all parts of Shandong want to eat cold noodles, that is, crossing the water, weaving a delicate small hedge with wheat straw, and eating noodles in the soup again and again. For children, it is not just a meal, but also a game full of fun.

6. Summer solstice diets in other regions

Summer solstice diets in other regions of China are different. For example, in northwest China, zongzi is eaten on the day of the summer solstice, and chrysanthemum ash is used to prevent wheat from being damaged by pests. In some areas, on the day of the summer solstice, underage nephews and nieces will go to their mother's house for dinner, and uncle's family will prepare amaranth and gourd for cooking, which means that eating amaranth will not cause the disease, and eating gourd legs will give them strength.