The origin and customs of the winter solstice. What to eat is the origin and customs of the winter solstice. The winter solstice is one of the traditional 24 solar terms. There are many different customs about the winter solstice in different parts of China. The folks have a saying that the winter solstice is like a year. Let's share the origin and customs of the winter solstice and what to eat. The origin and customs of the winter solstice What to eat 1 The origin of the winter solstice is one of the "twenty-four solar terms". During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, twenty-four solar terms were absorbed into the taichu calendar as a supplement to the calendar guiding farming, and the solar terms were divided by the method of "balancing qi" (that is, the average time method). "Pingqi Method" uses photogrammetry to determine the shortest day in the Yellow River basin as the winter solstice, divides the date between the winter solstice and the next winter solstice into twelve equal parts, which is called "Zhongqi", and then divides the dates between adjacent "Zhongqi" into equal parts, which is called "solar terms"; On average, there is a "neutral gas" and a "solar term" every month, which are collectively called "24 solar terms". What do you eat during the winter solstice festival? Many places in southern China will celebrate the winter solstice. Many areas along the southern coast have the traditional custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors on the winter solstice. Every household offers ancestral statues, memorial tablets, etc. to the hall at home, places a altar, sets up incense burners, offerings, etc. At the same time of offering sacrifices to ancestors, some places also offer sacrifices to gods and land gods, and worship the gods in order to pray for good weather, family and prosperity in the coming year. Cantonese people eat roasted meat and ginger rice on the winter solstice. On this day, most Cantonese people have the custom of "adding vegetables" to eat meat on the winter solstice. In Chaoshan area, there is a folk proverb of "Winter Festival Pills, the Chinese New Year will be celebrated as soon as you eat them", commonly known as "adding years". Hakkas believe that water tastes the most mellow at the winter solstice, so it has become a custom for Hakkas to make wine at the winter solstice. People in Hangzhou eat rice cakes on the winter solstice. People in Hangzhou like to eat rice cakes on the winter solstice from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties until now. During the winter solstice, you can cook rice cakes with different flavors, eat rice cakes at the winter solstice, and get older, which is auspicious. In Sichuan, it is the winter solstice to eat mutton soup, and mutton is the first nourishing in winter. In the area of Hunan and Hubei, you must eat red beans and glutinous rice on the winter solstice. In some areas in the south, it is more popular to eat the winter solstice ball, which means reunion. On the morning of the winter solstice, every household grinds glutinous rice flour, and uses sugar, meat, vegetables, fruits and shredded radish as stuffing to make a winter solstice ball, which is not only eaten by their own families, but also given to relatives and friends as a sign of blessing. In fact, eating dumplings on the winter solstice is a traditional custom in China, and it is even more common in Jiangnan. There is also a saying among the people that "eating dumplings is one year older". North In many parts of northern China, there is a custom of eating jiaozi on the winter solstice every year. According to legend, Zhang Zhongjing, a medical sage, saw the frozen people when he retired from his old age, so he wrapped mutton, some cold-dispelling herbs and dough into ears and made a medicine called "cold-dispelling jiao 'er soup" for the people to eat. Later, on the winter solstice, people imitated eating and formed a custom. Most parts of northern China want to eat jiaozi on this day because jiaozi has the meaning of "cooling off the cold". So far, there is a folk saying that "jiaozi Bowl is not good at winter solstice, and nobody cares if you freeze your ears". The origin and customs of the winter solstice what to eat 2 What does the winter solstice mean? The winter solstice refers to the coming of cold winter. At the winter solstice, the solar longitude is 27. On the winter solstice, the sun shines almost directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, and our northern hemisphere has the shortest day and the longest night, and it has begun to enter several cold days. Astronomy stipulates that this day is the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. After the winter solstice, the direct sunlight gradually moved northward, and the days in the northern hemisphere gradually became longer. As the proverb goes, eating noodles on the winter solstice makes a day grow longer. The origin of the winter solstice The winter solstice was the earliest one in 24 solar terms. However, most people don't know that the origin of the winter solstice actually comes from a national capital planning. As early as more than 3, years ago, Duke Zhou began to use Tugui method to measure the shadow, and measured the position of the world in Luoyi, which was a move of political significance at that time, but it became one of the festivals that affected future generations for thousands of years. When Duke Zhou went to Luoyang, he measured that Luoyang was "in the world" by Tugui method, and then began to divine the auspicious place of the state. "Shangshu? According to Luo Gu, the Duke of Zhou made an investigation of several places around Luoyang, and finally determined that Jianshui East, E Shuixi and E Shuidong were all "only Luo food" (all good places to build a ancestral temple state). The historical fact that the Duke of Zhou selected the base site of Luoyi through the "Tugui survey" was recorded in ancient books and was regarded as the law of sealing the country and founding the country by later generations. The purpose of "Topography in Tugui" is to find out "in the soil" (the center of China). The essence of this method is that "the tree is eight feet tall, and the summer solstice is five inches long;" On the winter solstice, the scene is one foot, three feet and five inches long (that is, the benchmark with a height of 8 feet is erected. On the summer solstice, the shadow at noon is 1.5 feet, and the shadow at noon on the winter solstice is 13.5 feet). "Measure the depth of the soil, find the ground, and check the four hours." What is measured by this method is the theoretical position of Luoyang and Luoyi in the soil. According to the world determined by the Duke of Zhou, the Zhou people made a detailed plan for the first national capital after the destruction of the Shang Dynasty, Yi Zhou Shu? Zuoluo contains: "As a big city, it is surrounded by soil, ... the south is in Luoshui, and the north is in Mangshan, thinking that the world is great." . After the completion of the national society (capital, ancestral temple), the Duke of Zhou formulated the national etiquette system in detail in system of rites and music, Chengzhoumingtang. According to records, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty was winter and November, and the winter solstice was the beginning of the New Year. That is to say, the Duke of Zhou chose the longest day of the "sun shadow" measured by Tugui method as the new year. From thoughtful to Qin, the winter solstice is always the same as the beginning of the year. This is still the case in the Han Dynasty. There is a saying in Hanshu: "The sun is shining on the winter solstice, and the monarch is long, so congratulations ..." In other words, people originally celebrated the winter solstice festival to celebrate the arrival of the new year. The ancients believed that since the winter solstice, the sun be the spirit of heaven and earth began to flourish, representing the beginning of the next cycle, which is the day of good luck. Therefore, later, during the Spring Festival, customs such as ancestor worship and family dinners often appeared in the winter solstice. The winter solstice is also known as the "small year". First, it shows that the year is approaching and there are not many days left. The second is to show the importance of the winter solstice. The winter solstice as a festival originated in the Zhou Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since. The first month of the Zhou calendar is November in the summer calendar. Therefore, the first month of the Zhou Dynasty is equal to today's November, so there is no difference between worshipping New Year and He Dong. It was not until Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the summer calendar that the first month was separated from the winter solstice. Therefore, it can also be said that the "Winter Solstice Festival" has only existed since the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been in existence ever since. Custom of Winter Solstice Wonton Noodles In the past, there was a saying in old Beijing that "Winter Solstice Wonton Summer Solstice Noodles". According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu in the north often harassed the frontier, and the people were restless. At that time, there were two leaders of Hun tribe and Tun tribe, which were very cruel. The people hated it, so they wrapped it into a corner with meat stuffing and called it "wonton" with the sound of "muddy" and "tun". The custom of eating dog meat on the winter solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the winter solstice, which made him feel particularly delicious and full of praise. Since then, the custom of eating dog meat on the winter solstice has been formed among the people. Nowadays people eat dog meat and mutton on the winter solstice in order to have a good omen for the coming year. Eating jiaozi's annual winter solstice, jiaozi is an essential holiday meal for rich and poor. As the saying goes, "On October 1st, when the winter solstice comes, every family eats dumplings." Red bean glutinous rice in Jiangnan water town, there is a custom that the whole family get together on the night of the winter solstice to eat red bean glutinous rice. According to legend, * * * Gong's was a gifted scholar who did many evils and died on the winter solstice. After his death, he became an epidemic ghost and continued to harm the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice on the winter solstice to ward off the epidemic ghost and prevent and cure diseases. The origin and customs of the winter solstice what to eat 3 What traditional food to eat in the winter solstice 1. Beijing "Wonton" According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu in the north often harassed the frontier, and the people were restless. At that time, there were two leaders of Hun tribe and Tun tribe, which were very cruel. The people hated it, so they wrapped it into a corner with meat stuffing and called it "wonton" with the sound of "muddy" and "tun". Hate to eat, and seek to calm the war and live a peaceful life. Because wonton was originally made on the winter solstice, every family eats wonton on the winter solstice. 2, Ningxia winter solstice to eat "brains" On the winter solstice, Yinchuan people want to drink powder soup and eat mutton powder soup jiaozi, and mutton powder soup is called "brains". Mutton powder soup is made by cooking mushrooms and mutton, with salt, ginger, onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce and other seasonings. After the soup is boiled, it is put into cut pieces and soaked vermicelli, and then added with chives, garlic sprouts and coriander. The aroma is fragrant and mouth-watering. After jiaozi made the noodle soup, he offered a bowl first, and then served a bowl to his neighbors. 3, Henan "pinch frozen ears" to eat "pinch frozen ears" is a common name for Henan people to eat jiaozi in the winter solstice. Why is there such a food custom? According to legend, Zhang Zhongjing, a doctor in Nanyang, was an official in Changsha. When he retired from his old age, it was a snowy winter and the wind was biting. He was very sad when he saw the villagers on both sides of Nanyang Baihe River with their clothes uncovered, and many people's ears were frozen rotten. He asked his disciples to set up a medical shed in Guandong, Nanyang, put mutton, peppers and some cold-dispelling medicinal materials in a pot and cook them, fished them out and chopped them up, imaged their ears with a leather bag, and then put them down and cooked them in a pot to make a kind of medicine called "soup for dispelling cold and correcting ears" for the people to eat. After eating, the villagers' ears were cured. Later, on the winter solstice, people imitated and cooked, so the custom of "pinching ears" was formed. Later, people called it "jiaozi", and some called it "flat food" and "instant noodle dumplings". It was also said that people would not be frozen in jiaozi after eating the winter solstice. 4. Tengzhou Mutton Soup The custom of eating mutton on the winter solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu, ate mutton cooked by Fan Kuai on the winter solstice, which made him feel particularly delicious and full of praise. Since then, the custom of eating mutton on the winter solstice has been formed among the people. On the winter solstice, people eat mutton and various nourishing foods one after another, in order to have a good omen for the coming year. Now every family in Tengzhou, Shandong Province should drink mutton soup on the winter solstice. 5, Jiangnan "red bean glutinous rice" In Jiangnan water town, there is a custom of the whole family getting together on the night of the winter solstice to eat red bean glutinous rice. According to legend, there was a man named * * * Gong's. His son was incompetent and evil, and he died on the winter solstice. After his death, he became an epidemic ghost and continued to harm the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice on the winter solstice to ward off the epidemic ghost and prevent and cure diseases. 6, Taizhou, Taizhou, Zhejiang, good food, winter solstice is an important solar term in the year, on this day to make some special dishes and food, first of all, we must pay homage to our ancestors, pray for ancestors to bless the whole family in the coming year. Then the whole family got together happily to drink and eat vegetables. Among them, it is an old tradition in Taizhou to eat "Winter Solstice Round" (also called hard round and rough round), which means round, smooth and reunion. 7. Suzhou Brewing Gusu area attaches great importance to the solar term of the winter solstice. There is a saying in Gusu area: "The winter solstice is like a New Year". Traditional Gusu people will drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice. Winter wine is a kind of rice wine, which is brewed with osmanthus flowers and has a pleasant aroma. People in Gusu will drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice, and at the same time, they will also be served with all kinds of braised beef, braised mutton and so on. In the cold winter, winter brewing can not only drive away the cold, but also place a good wish for life on the people of Gusu. 8. Eating rice cakes in Hangzhou People in Hangzhou will make rice cakes on the winter solstice, eat rice cakes, worship their ancestors with rice cakes or give them to relatives and friends. Eating rice cakes with different flavors for three meals a day, such as rice cakes mixed with sesame powder and sugar, fried rice cakes with shredded pork and so on, means that the auspicious year is getting older and taller. 9. Jiangxi Mazi Mazi is a specialty of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, and it is also a traditional snack of Fujian people and a sacrifice of Fujian people. It is suitable for steaming, frying, roasting and sand frying after hemp nourishing yin is dried. 1. Macao "makes winter" and "the winter solstice celebrates the New Year, and every family eats glutinous rice balls. If the teacher doesn't have a holiday, the students don't give money "-Macao folk songs. In Macao, people usually worship their ancestors on the winter solstice and hang paper in front of their graves, commonly known as "hanging winter". During the winter solstice, many people buy roast chicken, roast meat and other festive foods to worship God. 11. On the Winter Solstice Festival of Guangdong Tangyuan, there is a custom of worshipping ancestors in many places in Guangdong. In addition to three sacrifices of wine and meat, fruits and Tangyuan, there is also a ancestor worship in Zongtong, which is organized by the clan. Often, some ceremonies such as killing pigs and cattle, acting to reward the gods, etc. are held to remember the ancestors, such as reading genealogy and telling family history. Ordinary families also steam cakes, make rice cakes, glutinous rice balls, etc., and kill chickens and ducks to prepare a sumptuous dinner to celebrate. The dumplings eaten in the winter festival are salty, stuffed with shage, pork and shrimp, and served with chicken soup. In western Guangdong, the dumplings are wrapped with a vegetable leaf, which is called "vegetable bag". In the past, people in Guangfu still had the habit of "fish raw in winter solstice and dog meat in summer solstice". Qu Dajun wrote in "Guangdong New Talk": "When butterflies eat in pairs, fish raw in winter solstice is better than autumn." However, it was unsanitary to eat raw fish, and then it was changed to "edge furnace" (hot pot) and boiled dog meat, which was also eaten around the winter festival. In addition, people like to make "dried ginger" on the winter solstice, called "winter ginger", which greatly supplements the fire of life gate; Without being hot and dry; I also like to make powder before the winter solstice, which is called "powder before winter" for making rice cakes in the New Year. It is said that "powder before winter" will not go bad. 12. Taiwan Province glutinous rice cake still preserves the tradition of worshipping ancestors with nine-layer cakes on the winter solstice in Taiwan Province, China. It is made of glutinous rice flour and kneaded into animals that symbolize good luck and good luck, such as chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cows and sheep, and then steamed in layers in a steamer to worship ancestors to show that they will not forget their ancestors. On the winter solstice or at the early date agreed before and after, people with the same surname and the same clan gather in the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors one by one in the order of seniority, commonly known as "ancestor worship." After the ceremony, there will be a big banquet to entertain the clansmen who come to worship their ancestors. Everyone drinks heartily and connects with each other after a long separation, which is called "food ancestor." The ancestors of the Winter Solstice Festival have been handed down from generation to generation in Taiwan Province to show that they have never forgotten their roots. Radish, vegetables, tofu, fungus, etc.