In northern China, there is a custom of eating jiaozi in beginning of winter. In early winter, you can improve your life, but it is not as delicious as jiaozi. In the north, the rule in beginning of winter is to eat jiaozi, because jiaozi looks like ears. People think that if you eat them, your ears will not be frozen in winter. In addition, jiaozi's homonym "cross" means that beginning of winter is the turn of autumn and winter.

Since ancient times, people have attached great importance to the solar terms in beginning of winter, and the celebrations in various places are also very rich. Beginning of winter, beginning of spring, Changchun and beginning of autumn, collectively known as the four seasons, are very important festivals in the hearts of China people. Spring ploughing in Xia Yun, autumn harvest in winter storage, and winter is also the season to enjoy a bumper harvest. China used to be a farming society. People who have worked for a year should take advantage of beginning of winter to have a rest and reward their families for their hard work over the past year. There is a proverb that "beginning of winter makes up for winter, but makes up for empty talk" is the best metaphor.

Historical origin

Beginning of winter is the first solar term in winter, representing the beginning of winter and the beginning of March. Beginning of winter, together with beginning of spring, Changxia and beginning of autumn, is called "Four Seasons". Spring is planted in Xia Yun, autumn is harvested in winter, and everything germinates in spring, grows in summer, harvests in autumn and rests in winter. Beginning of winter means that life begins to shut down, everything enters a state of recuperation, plants wither and insects hibernate. For example, Xiao Jingwei said, "War refers to dry, for beginning of winter, winter, end, and everything will be harvested."

As for the division time of the four seasons, China traditionally takes Li Si (beginning of spring, Changchun, beginning of autumn and beginning of winter) as the beginning of the four seasons, and the equinox (vernal equinox and autumnal equinox) and the solstice (summer solstice and winter solstice) as the midpoint of the four seasons, which has obvious astronomical significance, and the changes of the four seasons are continuous throughout the year. It is also a process of yin-yang transformation, from one side to the other, quantitative change produces qualitative change.