Southern food customs during the winter solstice are: eating glutinous rice balls, Suzhou wine, ginger duck, and rice cakes.

1. Eat glutinous rice balls in the south. Eating glutinous rice balls during the winter solstice is a traditional custom in my country, especially popular in Jiangnan. There is a saying among the people that "eating glutinous rice balls makes you one year older". Tangyuan is also called glutinous rice balls, and eating glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice is also called "winter solstice dumplings".

2. Suzhou Brewing. The Suzhou area attaches great importance to the winter solstice. There is a saying in the Suzhou area: "The winter solstice is like the new year." Traditional Gusu people drink Dongjiujiu on the night of the winter solstice. Dongjiujiu is a kind of rice wine brewed with sweet-scented osmanthus and has a pleasant aroma. People in Suzhou drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice, along with various braised dishes such as braised beef and braised mutton.

3. Eat ginger duck in Xiamen. Xiamen people have a special liking for ducks, such as salt duck, sauce duck, roast duck and so on. The custom of winter solstice is also inseparable from ducks, and the food eaten is ginger duck. Ginger duck has the effects of nourishing the stomach and strengthening the spleen, relaxing muscles and activating blood circulation, resolving phlegm and dispelling cold, etc. It is very nourishing.

4. Eat rice cakes in Hangzhou. Hangzhou people will make and eat rice cakes on the winter solstice, use them to worship their ancestors or as gifts to relatives and friends. Different flavors of rice cakes are eaten three meals a day, such as rice cakes with sesame powder mixed with white sugar, stir-fried rice cakes with shredded pork, etc., which symbolize good luck and longevity.