The solar term customs of the Beginning of Winter are as follows:

1. Drink mutton soup

In Tengzhou, Shandong Province, there is a custom of drinking mutton soup during the Beginning of Winter. In cold weather, drinking a steaming bowl of mutton soup is definitely a pleasure. Moreover, mutton also contains a large amount of fat and protein as well as rich calories, which is excellent in keeping out the cold.

2. Swimming at the beginning of winter

Some places now have innovative ways of celebrating the beginning of winter. On the day of the beginning of winter in Harbin, Heilongjiang, Shangqiu, Henan, Yichun, Jiangxi, Wuhan, Hubei and other places, winter swimming hobbies People have used winter swimming to welcome the arrival of winter.

3. Southern Hot Tonic

In southern my country, people like to eat chicken, duck and fish at the beginning of winter. On the day of beginning of winter in Taiwan, "mutton stove" and "ginger duck" are sold on the streets. Waiting for the winter tonic restaurant to be full of guests. Many families also stew sesame oil chicken and Siwu chicken to replenish energy.

4. Northern Dumplings

People in northern my country, especially Beijing and Tianjin, love to eat dumplings. Dumplings come from the saying "Jiaozi Shi". The 30th day of the Lunar New Year is the turn of the old year and the new year, and the Beginning of Winter is the turn of autumn and winter, so dumplings during "Jiaozi" must be eaten.

Speaking of eating dumplings at the beginning of winter, it is said that when Zhang Zhongjing, a famous doctor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, returned to his hometown after retirement, he saw many people on the road whose ears were frozen due to the cold weather, so he set up a big pot by the Yellow River and cooked mutton and chili peppers. Put them in and boil them with cold-repelling medicinal materials, then take them out and chop them up, wrap them in ear-shaped dough and cook them in a pot. The shape is like an ear, and the stuffings wrapped around them are dumplings. Therefore, the elderly who eat dumplings at the beginning of winter are also called "An Er". There is also a saying that "if you don't serve dumpling bowls at the beginning of winter, no one will care if your ears are frozen."

5. Burning incense

The Manchus have the custom of burning incense. At the beginning of winter, as soon as the autumn grain is stored in the warehouse, this season is an active season for people of the Eight Banners of the Manchu and Eight Banners of the Han Army to burn incense and worship their ancestors. The sacrifices of the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty were called "Burning Flags and Incense to the Tiger God", while the sacrifices of the Eight Banners of the Manchu Banners were called "Burning the Incense of Meat". "Burning meat incense" lasts for 5-7 days. In the first three days of the ancestor worship ceremony, the whole family eats vegetarian food for ten days in a row and does not eat meat or fish.