Suzhou people celebrate the Winter Solstice —— Eating wonton and remembering beauty.
Suzhou was the capital of the State of Wu 2,500 years ago, and the ancestors of the State of Wu, Taibo and Zhongyong, were descendants of King Tai of Zhou. They once took the winter solstice as the beginning of the year, so the ancient city of Suzhou still has the legacy of "the winter solstice is as big as a year", and the menu of the winter solstice night every year is more elegant, which continues the profound customs of Wu and forms a unique meaning different from other cities.
In the supermarkets in the streets of Suzhou, the ancient city, winter wine is piled up like a "hill". Winter wine brewed only once a year, osmanthus is fragrant, sweet and refreshing. There is a saying in Suzhou since ancient times that if you don't drink winter wine on the winter solstice, you will be frozen overnight.
When the "Old Suzhou" came home, the "Round Night Dinner" set on the table was not only rich but also meaningful. Whether it was a cold pot of hot fried fish or poultry, it was renamed as "auspicious dish", "Yuanbao" (egg dumplings), "Reunion" (meatballs), "chicken" (flapping) and "golden chain" (pink chain)
Since ancient times, Taihu Lake has been rich in rice, and cakes made of glutinous rice flour are the most distinctive and common snacks in the area. Round winter solstice dumplings are a must-have snack during the dinner. It is said that in Suzhou, Lantern Festival in January, backing cakes in February, green dumplings in March, fairy cakes in April 14th, fried dumplings with minced meat in May, thank-stove dumplings in June 24th, cowpea cakes in July, sweet dumplings in August, double ninth festival cakes in September, radish dumplings in October, winter solstice dumplings in November, and osmanthus flowers in December.
It is said that Suzhou people still have the custom of eating wonton on the winter solstice. According to legend, at a banquet in the Spring and Autumn Period in Wuyue, the prince of Wu who was tired of eating delicacies lost his appetite, so beauty Xi Shi went into the imperial kitchen and wrapped up a dustpan-style snack for him. The king of Wu ate a big bowl in one breath and repeatedly asked, "What kind of snack is this, so delicious?" Xi Shi thought, "The muddled monarch can't get away from chaos, so he casually replied," Chaos. " In order to commemorate the wisdom and creation of Xi Shi, Suzhou people designated it as the appropriate food for the Winter Solstice Festival.
"Tonifying in winter solstice and killing tigers in spring" is a folk saying widely spread in Wu. Suzhou people have also started a big tonic since the winter solstice, and it has also formed the highest peak of eating mutton after autumn. The mutton business of Wuzhong Cangshu Mutton Store, which is well-known at home and abroad, has prospered a lot at once. The owner of a small mutton store with books revealed that his mutton store can sell eight sheep in the winter solstice. For the eaters, whether it is burning, stewing, stewing or cooking, it is both delicious and healthy, which is really a good thing to kill two birds with one stone.
Ningxia: Eat "brains" on the winter solstice.
There is a custom in Yinchuan to drink noodle soup and eat mutton noodle soup jiaozi on the winter solstice. Yinchuan people gave mutton powder soup an odd name-"brain" on the winter solstice.
Get busy early in the fifth watch, wash and cook the purple mushrooms on Songshan, and take them out after cooking; Stir-fry diced mutton in a pan, stir-fry with ginger, onion, garlic and Chili noodles after steam drying, add chopped mushrooms to diced mutton and stir-fry, then marinate with vinegar (to remove the toxic smell of wild mushrooms), and then add blended noodles, refined salt and soy sauce; After the meat is rotten, stir-fry the auricularia auricula and lily (day lily) slightly, add the clear mushroom soup, boil the soup, put it into the cut pieces and soaked vermicelli, and then add leek, garlic sprout and coriander, so as to make a pot of mutton powder soup. This pot of soup is red with pepper, yellow with day lily, green with garlic sprouts and coriander, white with vermicelli and vermicelli, black with mushrooms and fungus, red, yellow, green, white and black. The aroma is delicious and makes people drool.
On the winter solstice, the common people call it Ghost Festival. After jiaozi prepares the noodle soup, he will serve a bowl first, and also serve a bowl to his neighbors. I can't eat jiaozi in the morning, so I buy three-pointed cakes and fennel cakes soaked in powder soup. Jiaozi stuffed with mutton powder soup and radish is a common meal for Yinchuan people, but foreigners are full of praise when they eat it. It is rare to see such a spicy and delicious jiaozi in other places, which can be regarded as a special snack in Yinchuan.
Fujian: "Winter Solstice" rubbing pills
"Winter solstice frost, moon light; Bai Yehong, meatball holding. " This is a children's song on the winter solstice.
"Eight Min Tongzhi Xinghua House Customs Winter Solstice" contains: "In the early stage, glutinous rice was a pill, which was early in the day, and it was recommended for ancestral examination." This is the folk custom of "winter solstice", "rubbing balls" and offering sacrifices to ancestors with ripe "sweet balls" early in the winter solstice.
The night before the winter solstice, it is called "winter solstice". On this evening, red candles are brightly lit in every hall, and the lights are like day, which means brilliant career. On the table, red oranges are regarded as "fruit yue" (that is, red oranges are stacked into small mountains, hence the name). A piece of "Sanchun" (that is, the paper flowers of Fu Lushou cut by folk paper cutters with red paper) was inserted into the top layer of red oranges, and a pair of chopsticks (ten pairs) with red paper strips around their waists, ginger and sugar, respectively. The family washed their hands, and the parents lit candles and incense, set off firecrackers and began to "rub pills". The "balls" you rub are white. If you are newly married, you rub red balls to show that your family will be more prosperous. At this time, the woman put on a red shirt and shone brightly in the light. The children were smiling and innocent. Everyone gathered around the big dustpan (commonly called "Dai Li Arc"), and the children sat on high stools, "eager to try". Housewives add boiled water to knead the ground glutinous rice powder (commonly called "rice sacrifice") into round strips, pick them into large round blanks, and then rub them into "balls" the size of longan kernels with their palms. This is the "winter solstice rubbing pills". Among them, the most interesting ones are: some adults are pinching ingots and cornucopia; Some are pinching puppies and piglets, taking the common sayings of "Lucky, paparazzi win the treasure" and "Be a dog, a pig, and a treasure", which means "rich in financial resources and prosperous in six animals". Children are most interested in puppies and piglets, cheering "Grandpa is making a dog", "Dad is making a dog" and "Mom and Grandma are making pigs!" The whole family burst into laughter. Some rub "magpie pills" (commonly called "guest bird pills") that are only the size of beans. The children are always rubbing around, some are flat and some are long, and even he feels funny. Some people put rice sacrifices on their eyebrows and noses, which is really ridiculous and lovely. If the child drops the meatballs on the ground, ask the child to pick them up and blow off the dust, otherwise, they will grow ugly in the future. Its meaning is to educate children to cherish food from an early age. After "rubbing pills", put the "balls" in the "Daili solitary", put the lid on, and put them in front of the stove for the night.
The night on the winter solstice is the longest, and children love to eat meatball soup. When they can't sleep, they clamor for their mother to eat meatball soup before dawn. Therefore, there is a nursery rhyme of "Love meatball soup and hope for it before dawn". Housewives pour "meatballs" into the pot, and add water with ginger and sugar (ginger and sugar can dispel cold and stimulate appetite) to make sweet, sweet, sticky and hot "sweet meatball soup". After offering it to the ancestors, the whole family shared it. It is necessary to stick "Maruko" on the doorframe to honor "Mencheng Huwei" and keep the family safe. You should also throw "(feeding) magpie pills" on the roof (generally 12 pills, or 13 pills in leap years, which means peace every month of the year), and when magpies come to compete for food, there will be an uproar, which is commonly called "good news", which means five blessings.
Early in the winter solstice, the family took "meatballs", fruits, incense sticks, paper money, etc. up the mountain to offer sacrifices to sweep the ancestral graves. Because the Winter Solstice Festival is the last grave-sweeping festival in a year, there are more grave-sweeping families than Qingming Festival and Chongyang Festival, which means to pursue the distance with caution.
Chaoshan winter solstice custom
The winter solstice is one of the 24 solar terms. According to "twenty-four solar term", "On November 15th, the gas that was finally hidden came to an end." "Tongwei, Filial Piety to Help the Gods" contains: "On the fifteenth day after the heavy snow, it is the winter solstice, and it is the fifteenth day. The cathode and the yang begin, the day goes south, and it grows up. " According to Ci Hai: "Astronomically, the winter solstice is the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere." The winter solstice is not only one of the 24 solar terms, but also a big folk festival in Chaoshan area, which is commonly known as "Little New Year".
The customs of winter solstice in Chaoshan cities and counties are basically the same, and there are customs such as offering sacrifices to ancestors, eating sweet pills, and visiting graves.
Ancestor worship: Chaoshan folks prepare three kinds of sacrifices and fruits such as pork, chicken and fish on this day, go to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, and then the family will have a meal around the table, usually before noon, and the family will be reunited at lunch. However, in coastal areas, such as the seamounts in Raoping, ancestors are sacrificed in the early morning, before fishermen go out to sea to fish, which means asking gods and ancestors to bless fishermen's fishing safety.
Eating Sweet Pills: This custom is almost universal in the Chaoshan area, but it also contains an interesting vulgar custom: after people worship their ancestors on this day, they take out some sweet pills and stick them on their doortops, roof beams, rice jars and other places. Why do you want to do this? According to legend, there are two reasons: first, sweet pills are sweet and round, which means good meaning. It indicates another bumper harvest next year and family reunion. It's a good omen if the family can accidentally meet it on this day, just like the "Water-splashing Festival" of ethnic minorities. If an outsider happens to visit on this day and let an outsider meet it, these outsiders will also have good luck. Therefore, people don't want outsiders to visit on this day. One is for mice. According to legend, the seeds of grain were bitten by mice from far away places to be planted by farmers. In order to repay the contribution of mice, farmers agreed that a small part should be left uncut when harvesting every year so that mice could eat them. Later, because a greedy man harvested all the grains in the field, the mouse complained to Goddess Guanyin in anger. After listening to this, Goddess Guanyin felt sorry for her, so she gave her a pair of hard teeth and told her to move into other people's houses in the future to find food. Since then, the mouse has done harm everywhere. Become one of the "four evils" today. However, this vulgar custom of "sticking sweet pills everywhere" won't last long after all. It is not only unsanitary, but also unsightly and wasteful, and naturally dies out. And this custom of "eating sweet nine" has been passed down to this day.
Going to the grave: this is another activity of the winter solstice. According to the Chaoshan custom, the annual grave-sweeping is generally on Qingming and the winter solstice, which is called "Spring Paper" and "Winter Paper". Generally speaking, the custom of "passing the spring paper" should be carried out in the first three years after death, and the "winter paper" can only be carried out after three years. However, most people like to carry "winter paper" because it often rains during the Qingming period and the road is difficult to walk; During the winter solstice, the weather is good, which is convenient for picnicking in the mountains.
There is also a common saying in Chaoshan that "you are one year older after eating the winter festival". According to Mr. Wang Lingan's "Talk about the Old Customs of Shantou", "People have two explanations for this: one says that the winter solstice is a small New Year, and after the small year, one year should be added; Say this proverb is from the prisoner. In ancient times, every autumn was the season of killing people. Prisoners who committed capital crimes were generally executed in the autumn. If they were not executed by the winter solstice, they could be postponed until next year as a rule, so they said' one more year'.
Chaoshan custom is a part of Chaoshan culture. In the long-term life and social practice, people inherit the good customs and discard the bad ones. The custom of "going to the grave to sweep the grave" on the winter solstice is to commemorate the ancestors' hard work and "eating sweet pills" is to herald another bumper harvest in the coming year, which is naturally inherited.
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Shaoxing winter solstice custom
The winter solstice is a big festival in Shaoxing, and the proverb says that "the winter solstice is as big as a year". In ancient times, people always regarded it as another New Year. Jia Tai Hui Ji Zhi says that its festivals are "roughly as simple as the righteous Dan", and many things start from the winter solstice. The lunar calendar calculates Qingming, that is, after the winter solstice 106 days, which means "the winter solstice is 160% Qingming". "99 Songs" also takes the winter solstice as the first nine, 29 to 99, in order to remember the seasonal changes. There are even folk sayings, such as "at the beginning of the winter solstice, the slate is crisp, in the middle of the winter solstice, you spend the winter naked, and at the end of the winter solstice, you sell cattle to buy quilts", "There is no ice before the winter, and people are frozen after the winter" and "The sunny winter solstice is bad for the year, and the rainy winter solstice is sunny for the New Year". On this day, people will have a family reunion and feast, just like the custom of eating New Year's Eve.
Every family in Shaoxing worships their ancestors on the winter solstice, and some even go to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, which is called "making the winter solstice". Generally, paper-cut clothes are made for men and women before the winter solstice, and they are sent to the graves of ancestors for incineration at the winter solstice, commonly known as "sending cold clothes". After the sacrifice, relatives and friends gather to drink, commonly known as "winter solstice wine", which not only misses the dead, but also connects feelings. The custom in Shaoxing, Xinchang and other counties is to go to the graves every day to add mud, weed and repair the foundation, so as to break the ground for this day, otherwise it may be a disaster.
The winter solstice is also called the "long solstice", which is the longest night in a year. Therefore, there is a saying among the people that "sleepy sleep means sleepy winter solstice night", which means that a night's sleep on the winter solstice can save a good dream every day.
In the old days, rice was boiled in stone tablets and mortar. Shaoxing people liked to boil rice in advance around the winter solstice, which was called "winter boiled rice". For one thing, after the winter solstice, it would be "spring" for another month, and family affairs would be busy, so everyone had to be busy preparing for farming and had no time to go to boil again. Secondly, because of the spring air, the rice buds float, and the rice grains are not as solid as in winter. The rice grains in winter can avoid being fragile and bruised, reducing the loss of food.
When people make wine in Shaoxing, they generally like to put it in the jar before the winter solstice, which is called "winter brewing". After brewing, the aroma is tangy and particularly attractive. In addition, the water at this time is still winter water, and the brewed wine is easy to preserve and will not deteriorate. At this time, special techniques can also be used to make "dimple wine" and "honey hospitality" for the elderly, or as gifts for relatives and friends.
On the night of the winter solstice, Shaoxing folks also have the custom of "lighting a fire". The fire will be lit overnight and wrapped in the quilt, which means that the charcoal fire will not go out in Rosty Yi, which can herald the prosperity of family affairs in the coming year.
In the old Vietnam, no matter men or women, on the winter solstice, everyone had to make a bowl of wonton to eat; On the summer solstice, you have to eat noodles from house to house, which is called "Winter Solstice Wonton Summer Solstice Noodles". This custom has been circulating for a long time. But in the end, there are different opinions about why it became popular. Or the shortest day, with a wonton-shaped group; When eating noodles on the summer solstice, the noodles (strips) are long and the summer solstice is long. Although the latter can be proved by the custom of eating noodles for longevity, it is not recorded after all. Fan Yin, a Shaoxing scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, said in Yue Yan Diet that wonton "or sesame sugar or fermented meat is wrapped in flour and eaten at the winter solstice", which shows that there are sweet wonton in ancient Shaoxing.
On that day, there were many taboos among Shaoxing people, such as saying unlucky words, quarreling and scolding, and breaking dishes and bowls. If a woman does not return to her mother's home, she must return to her husband's house that day and not spend the night at her mother's house. It is not allowed to beat and scold children, even the most naughty students can be exempted from punishment on the winter solstice. Mr. Wang can only hold up a ruler and warn, "I will remember the bill for you until tomorrow!" " .
Quanzhou people "don't go home and have no ancestors in the winter festival"
China Weather Network is the Winter Solstice Festival, also known as the Winter Festival, in the middle of December of the lunar calendar every year, about the Gregorian calendar1February 22nd (or the day before and after). The winter solstice is one of the 24 solar terms, which is especially valued by people. Quanzhou people call it "the winter festival", and its emphasis seems to be slightly inferior, but it is also very grand during the festival.
Food for the winter solstice varies from place to place, with wonton in the north, dumplings in the northwest, and glutinous rice balls and mashi in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Suzhou people eat dumplings during the winter solstice festival, also known as "winter solstice dumplings", which are divided into two types: rice dumplings and rice dumplings. "Qing Jia Lu" says: "The ones with stuffing are rice dumplings, and the winter solstice night sacrifices are first; The small one without stuffing is pink, and the winter solstice is also for the gods. " The "Winter Festival Pill" eaten by Quanzhou people is actually the Suzhou people's festive food powder ball introduced in Qing Jia Lu. On the eve of the festival, every household should "rub pills" There are red and white colors. The skill of "rubbing pills" is exquisite. Women in fishing villages of Shenhu, Shishi Xiangzhi and Chongwu, Hui 'an, rub pills with high speed and good quality, and the grains are as small as fish's eyes, which is amazing. While rubbing pills for the winter festival, they also use rice pills to knead some small and exquisite fruits and animals and gold ingots and silver treasures to symbolize prosperity and wealth, commonly known as "being a hen and bitch".
There is a saying in the spring custom that "you don't go home for the winter festival and have no ancestors", so those who go out will go home for the holidays as much as possible. In the morning of the winter festival, sweet pill soup should be cooked to honor the ancestors, and then the family will have sweet pill soup for breakfast. Some people still leave a few rice pills after dinner and stick them on the door, which is called "respecting the door god". People in Quanzhou eat pills, calling Yuanxiao Pills "head pills (round)" and Winter Festival "tail pills (round)", so that the head and tail are round, which means that the whole family is happy all year round. However, the Qing Jiaqing's Hui 'an County Records and Customs Records explains that eating pills in the winter festival is like this: "In November, the winter solstice, the yang begins to sprout, and eating rice pills is sticking to the door. Where the sun is still round, the yin is still square, and the sun is born in May, the millet is cooked first in the valley, and it is a corner millet, which is like yin, angle and square. When the winter solstice begins, it is rice pills, with Xiangyang, pills and circles; Each with its own kind of image. The summer solstice is not a festival, but it also suppresses yin. " At noon, the ancestors are worshipped, and the offerings are made with five flavors of meat and vegetables. At night, family sacrifices such as New Year's Eve are held, and there must be tender cakes and vegetables in the offerings. Spring Festival is a popular holiday, and only the Winter Festival, New Year's Eve and Tomb-Sweeping Day have to prepare tender cake dishes in a year. It is said that they all have the meaning of "covering gold with silver", hoping that the family will prosper. In the old days, if they belonged to a large family, they also opened the gate of Zongmiao Ci Hall and held a ceremony of ancestor worship, which, together with Tomb-Sweeping Day's ancestor worship, was called Spring and Winter Sacrifice. The ceremony is very strict, and the participants are sincere and sincere.
In Hui 'an, in addition to ancestor worship, there are some similar customs in Tomb-Sweeping Day, such as going to the mountains to pay money in the ten days before and after, and there is no taboo in repairing graves and moving places.
As an important solar term, the winter solstice has many related proverbs. Such as "eat the winter festival, last winter; Eat Qingming and go to the bitter pit. " Astronomy stipulates that the winter solstice is the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. After the winter festival, the temperature continues to drop and there is little farm work, which becomes the slack season, called "last winter". In Tomb-Sweeping Day, the climate is warm, the vegetation is flourishing, and agricultural production is mostly busy with spring ploughing and planting, which is the most tiring stage for farmers, so it is called "into the pit of bitterness". However, the slack season does not forget the busy season, and the proverb reminds farmers in time: "The sixth day of the winter solstice is Qingming." After the winter solstice 106 is Qingming, so we should prepare for farming as soon as possible. In addition, there is "dry winter festival, wet year pocket". "The winter solstice is at the beginning of the month, and the cold is in the year; The winter solstice is at the end of the month, and the cold is February. " "Before the winter solstice, the price of rice was long, and the poor children were raised for a long time; Before the winter solstice, the price of rice fell, and the poor children turned bleak, and so on.
The custom in some mountainous areas of Quanzhou is to sweep graves on the winter solstice.
Qingming is a well-known grave-sweeping season, but strangely, some places in Quanzhou mountain area do not sweep graves on Qingming, but on the winter solstice. How long has this custom been circulating, and what kind of mystery is there?
Taiwan Province Winter Solstice Custom
In Taiwan Province, China, the tradition of worshipping ancestors with nine-layer cakes on the winter solstice is still preserved. Glutinous rice flour is used to knead animals such as chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cows, sheep, etc., which symbolize good luck and good luck, and then steamed in layers in a steamer to worship ancestors to show that they do 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." Winter solstice? Ancestors have been handed down from generation to generation in Taiwan Province to show that they never forget their "roots".
Ningbo winter solstice custom
"I am one year older after eating soup." There is a "winter solstice worship" in Ningbo. According to the custom of old Ningbo, it is necessary to make a winter solstice soup rice. On the morning of the winter solstice, I have to eat a bowl of sweet sweet potato soup, which means to "turn over" all the previous bad luck. Eat a few dumplings and dumplings on this day, which means reunion and perfection. Old Ningbo people also want to make a baked rice cake, pinning their good wishes of "high every year"
Changsha winter solstice custom
Changsha folk take the winter solstice as the starting point and nine days as a period of time, and there is a "number nine songs" saying:
"On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, you don't make moves when you meet (hands in sleeves or pockets); 3927, hanging pen (icicle) in front of eaves; In 4936, pedestrians stayed overnight (going home for the Spring Festival); In 5945, the poor Han people danced before the stage (praising spring and sending the god of wealth); In 6954, the withered branches made tender thorns; 7963, take off your clothes on the sidewalk; In 8972, Hiccup in the field of the hemp kidnapper (frog); 9981, take off the hemp fiber and wear a hat. " In Changsha, there was an old custom of gathering people to worship their ancestors in the ancestral hall. At that time, pigs and sheep were slaughtered and "Winter Solstice Wine" was held. Hold a sacrificial ceremony. Families also eat glutinous rice, make moldy tofu and smoke bacon.
Hangzhou winter solstice custom
In Hangzhou, people put the fish heads and fish tails left over from the winter solstice in rice jars for the night and take them out the next day, which means "there are more leftovers".