1, beginning of winter is a seasonal solar term, together with beginning of spring, Changchun and beginning of autumn, it is called Li Si. Beginning of winter is the first solar term in winter, representing the beginning of winter. Twenty-four solar terms are the product of ancient farming civilization, and farming production is closely related to the rhythm of nature. All autumn crops in the early winter season are harvested and stored. Twenty-four solar terms say that "winter is the end, and everything is harvested." The crops in autumn are harvested and dried, and the animals in winter are hidden on the earth. Beginning of winter is the first solar term in winter, representing the beginning of winter. Beginning of winter is also one of the seasonal nodes that China people attach great importance to. This is a time to enjoy a bumper harvest and recuperate. Through the rest in winter, I look forward to a rich life in the coming year.

2. Traditional customs:

(1) sacrifice. Beginning of winter is one of the "four seasons and eight festivals" in ancient society, and it is a very important festival. In some areas of our country, there are customs such as ancestor worship, feasting and divination of the elderly. In order to fulfill the obligations and responsibilities of future generations, we pray that God will give us a good year in the coming year.

(2) Eat jiaozi. On that day in beginning of winter, all kinds of jiaozi were very popular. First, beginning of winter will improve its life on this day, but "it's not as delicious as jiaozi"; Secondly, sexual intercourse comes from the saying that beginning of winter is at the turn of autumn and winter, so you can't help eating sexual intercourse.

(3) Brewing yellow rice wine. It is a traditional Shaoxing wine-making custom to start brewing yellow wine in beginning of winter that day. The low water cooling temperature in winter can effectively inhibit the growth of miscellaneous bacteria and make the wine form a good flavor in the process of low temperature and long-term fermentation. This is the most suitable season for wine fermentation. Therefore, Shaoxing people regard beginning of winter to beginning of spring in the second year as the most suitable time to brew yellow rice wine, which is called "winter brewing" to pray for happiness.

(4) eat raw onions. There is a proverb in Nanjing: "An onion and a half a day brings wind to your legs in winter." When they arrived in beginning of winter, the old Nanjing people paid special attention to eating raw onions to resist the cold and wet winter in Nanjing and reduce the incidence of diseases.

(5) "sweeping". In the past, at the beginning of winter, people in Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang also used various herbs, chrysanthemums and honeysuckle to soak in water, which was called "scabbing" to treat diseases and ensure healthy winter.