Sichuan people eat mutton, dumplings and glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice.

Sichuan eats mutton during the Winter Solstice. Mutton soup is one of the traditional delicacies of the Winter Solstice. It has the effect of warming and nourishing the body. The mutton itself is rich in protein, calcium, iron and other nutrients, which can enhance physical strength and resistance. Sichuan Dumplings are eaten during the Winter Solstice because the dumplings are shaped like gold ingots, which means that the house is full of gold ingots and the family is rich. The heat wrapped in the dumplings can help warm the body.

Eating glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice in Sichuan means reunion and perfection, and glutinous rice balls are a traditional winter food. They are made of glutinous rice flour and steamed. The fillings of the glutinous rice balls can be selected according to personal preferences. Common ones include black sesame and bean paste fillings. After cooking, the glutinous rice balls have a soft and glutinous texture that melts in your mouth and is very delicious.

Astronomical Calendar

The winter solstice, as an important node of the 24 solar terms in China, is the day with the shortest day and the longest night north of the equator. The winter solstice is the extreme southward journey of the sun. On this day, the height of the sun in the northern hemisphere is the smallest. On the winter solstice, the sun's rays directly hit the Tropic of Capricorn, and the sun's rays are most tilted towards the northern hemisphere.

The winter solstice is the turning point of the sun's southward journey. After this day, it will "turn back". The direct point of the sun begins to move northward from the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26′S). During the daytime in the northern hemisphere (China is located in the northern hemisphere) It will increase day by day. Because around the winter solstice, the earth is located near the perihelion and moves slightly faster. This causes the time when the sun shines directly on the southern hemisphere in a year to be about 8 days shorter than the time when it shines directly on the northern hemisphere. Therefore, winter in the northern hemisphere is longer than summer. Slightly shorter.