Do you pay attention to the placement of fish tanks in Feng Shui? Where did the custom of eating jiaozi in winter come from? .

Winter solstice is a very important solar term in China lunar calendar, and it is also a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. The winter solstice is usually called "Winter Festival", "Dragon Solstice Festival" and "Asian Year". As early as 2500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, China observed the sun with the earth, and determined the winter solstice, which was the earliest of the 24 solar terms. The time of year is marked in the solar calendar. In most parts of northern China, it is also the custom to eat jiaozi and jiaozi on this day. There is a proverb: When winter solstice comes, we will eat jiaozi, and there are poems and films about this solar term.

The Winter Solstice Festival originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has been passed down to this day. Lu even said that the winter solstice is as big as a year. This shows that the ancients attached great importance to the winter solstice. People think that the winter solstice is a natural transformation of yin and yang and a blessing from heaven. In the Han Dynasty, the winter solstice was the "Winter Festival", and the government held a congratulatory ceremony called "He Dong", which was a routine festival. There is such a record in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Before and after the winter solstice, a gentleman was prepared for danger in times of peace, refused to listen to politics, and chose an auspicious day to save trouble." So on this day, the imperial court had a holiday, the army was on standby, the frontier fortress was closed, the business trip was closed, relatives and friends sent meals to each other, visited each other, and had a "quiet" holiday happily.

In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the solstice in winter was the day of ancestor worship. On this day, the emperor went to the suburbs to hold a ceremony to worship heaven. On this day, people must worship their parents. There are still some places to celebrate the winter solstice.

The legend of winter solstice festival

One of the legends: There used to be 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, Xiongnu 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 "swallowing". I hate eating, and I want to quell the war and live a peaceful life. Because wonton was originally made on the winter solstice, every family eats wonton on the winter solstice.

Legend 2: The custom of eating dog meat on the solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the solstice in winter, which was particularly delicious and full of praise. Since then, the custom of eating dog meat from winter solstice has been formed among the people. Nowadays, people eat dog meat, mutton and all kinds of nutritious food on the solstice of winter, which is a good sign for the coming year.

Legend 3: In Jiangnan water town, there is a custom that the whole family get together to eat red beans and glutinous rice on a winter solstice night. According to legend, there was a man named Gong. His son was incompetent and evil. He died on the Winter Solstice. Become a plague ghost after death and continue to harm the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice from winter solstice to drive away the epidemic ghost and prevent diseases.

Local custom

Northern custom

The winter solstice is an important folk festival in Shanxi in November of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the "Winter Festival".

During the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, it was stipulated that the day before the winter solstice was the end of the year. The winter solstice festival is essentially equivalent to today's Spring Festival. Later, the summer calendar was implemented. However, the winter solstice has always ranked first among the 24 solar terms, and there is a saying that "the winter solstice is as big as a year", which is called "sub-year". Celebrations have been held since the Han Dynasty. At the peak, the court has a three-day holiday, so you don't listen to politics. People closed the city for three days to celebrate the festival. It is as lively as the Chinese New Year.

Today's winter solstice festival still retains many historical sites. From the winter of the solstice, it entered the cold weather for several days in a row. There is a folk custom of drawing "Cold Map in September and September" in various forms.

There is a plum blossom, and 998 1 flower is painted in plain ink. Dye a petal with a red pen or a black pen every day, and the petal will come out in 1999, which is called 99-99 cold elimination map.

Some are tied horizontally to make a square diagram of 998 1 grid. Apply a grid of nine grids every day, which is called 99-99 anti-cold table.

Draw a few empty squares and choose a few words. Each word must be several strokes. Write a stroke every day and finally make a sentence, such as "looking at Feng Gu in front of the pavilion and behind the house", which is called the sentence of "Jiujiu eliminating cold"

The most elegant thing is to make nine-body couplets. Nine words per couplet, nine pictures per word, and each couplet is filled in daily. For example, the couplet reads "Spring hangs, spring blooms, spring blooms"; The second couplet is called "Autumn Persimmon Hanging in Autumn Courtyard to Send Autumn Fragrance", and it is called "Eliminating Cold and Welcoming Spring in September".

What form each family takes is often determined by the owner's hobbies and cultural quality. There is also a folk proverb: "The sky is sunny, and the left wind is foggy and snowy." The dots in the picture are dark, and the grass is outside the door. "

On the winter solstice festival, people are used to giving away shoes, and its origin is very old. "China's Notes on Ancient and Modern Times" said: "There were embroidered mandarin ducks in the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Zhao ordered his aunt to go to the winter solstice." Cao Zhi's "Winter Solstice Socks and Shoes Table" also has a sentence: "Welcome in the coming year and celebrate for a long time." Later, the custom of sending shoes to uncles and aunts gradually became that uncles and aunts sent shoes and hats to nephews. Mainly reflected in children. It used to be mainly hand embroidery. As a gift for men, hats are mostly made in the shape of tigers and dogs, and embroidered shoes are also beasts. For girls, hats are mostly made in the shape of phoenix, and embroidery on shoes is mostly flowers and birds. Nowadays, most of them are purchased from collecting coins, and the form keeps up with the trend of the times. On holidays, adults always like to drop in to see their children and praise the shoes and hats given by their uncles and aunts.

In winter solstice, boys in northern Shaanxi are used to playing gang games. Holding a square stone piece the size of a palm, one side stands up, and the other side throws and hits in turn according to a set of prescribed actions. When knocking down the pillars set by the other side, move on. After the failure, exchange throws with each other. Whoever finishes all the procedures first will win. Girls are used to kicking shuttlecock in various forms. People often have to join in the fun and play.

In the winter solstice festival, the old customs should also be entertained by teachers from the East School. Teacher Wang will lead the students to worship Confucius memorial tablet. Then, Dongxue led the students to worship Mr. .. There is a saying in Shanxi that "teachers teach on the winter solstice", which is the custom of respecting teachers and attaching importance to Taoism. Until now, there is still the custom of inviting teachers to dinner on the winter solstice. Northwest Shanxi used to entertain teachers with stewed mutton, which was full of affection.

In the past, domestic helpers used to settle their wages with their employers during the winter solstice and then prepare to go home. Traditionally, the host will hold a banquet to entertain the guys and discuss the affairs of next year with each other. Today, some rural self-employed people still keep this custom, holding banquets and drinking alcohol on the winter solstice.

Southern customs

The solstice in winter is the longest night in a year. Many people use this evening to make a "winter solstice circle" with glutinous rice flour. In order to distinguish it from "saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new" on the eve of the Spring Festival, the day before the Winter Festival is called "adding the year" or "dividing the year", which means that the year is not over yet, but everyone has grown up for a year.

Although the customs and people's feelings in different parts of our country are different, they are roughly the same. When making the winter solstice circle, children often pinch some small animals, such as kittens, puppies, rabbits, tigers and so on. The children are very happy at this time. Before eating the winter solstice yen, you should stick a winter solstice yen on the back of the bed lamp in doors, windows, tables and cabinets, which is called "waste day" and "send the stove" before baking food. If there are pregnant women at home at this time, the winter solstice will be full, and boys will be born, otherwise girls will be born. When eating the winter solstice, the entrances must be paired for good luck. In the end, there are only two pieces left, the married are the best, and the single and unmarried are the best. At night, some families worship their ancestors with seasonal fruits and three kinds of animals. Some people "dry winter rice" on this day, that is, wash white rice with water, dry it on this day, and put it away for the sick to cook porridge later.

Eating jiaozi is also a traditional custom from winter solstice, especially in the south of the Yangtze River. "Tangyuan" is an essential food from winter solstice, and it is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Round" means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice is also called "the winter solstice group". There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". The winter solstice group can be used to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. In the past, Shanghainese were most particular about eating jiaozi. An ancient poem said, "Every family beats rice to make glutinous rice balls, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty." "Circle" means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter symbolizes family harmony and good luck.

Winter sweet pills are usually cooked before dawn. After the family gets up, they should eat a bowl of "Winter Festival Pills". There is a saying in Chaoshan folk that "the Chinese New Year will be celebrated as soon as the winter festival pills are eaten", commonly known as "adding the year", which means that although one year has not passed, everyone has added a year. Children are most eager to eat this bowl of sweet pills, and often wake up at night and ask the morning? However, the sky seems to be joking with the children, and it is always not bright. Therefore, there is a nursery rhyme of "winter festival night, long years, fragrant pills are not cooked". In fact, every year on the solstice of winter, the night is the longest, and after the solstice of winter, it gradually becomes shorter. In the past, in Chaoshan urban and rural areas, it was also customary to worship Commander Gong with sweet glutinous rice balls on the solstice in winter, and to prepare three sacrifices to worship the ancestors to sweep the grave. It was called "winter paper" to sweep the grave on the solstice in winter. Less than three years after death, future generations will "spend the spring paper" and then "spend the winter paper" in Tomb-Sweeping Day. Sweeping graves on the solstice in winter, because there is little rain and plenty of sunshine in winter, it is more convenient to hold ancestor worship activities in Shan Ye, and it is also an outing for entertainment.

In winter solstice, most parts of the province are used to eating jiaozi. It is said that eating jiaozi won't freeze your ears on the winter solstice. The tradition in mountainous areas is to eat cakes. Prosperous boiled rape root rice soup in southern Shanxi. In some places, they still eat wonton, and there is a saying that "it's winter to the sun, and summer to the sun".

It is said that eating glutinous rice balls from winter solstice in some areas in the south is developed from red beans and glutinous rice.

Eat jiaozi (wonton) from winter solstice in Sichuan.

In winter in Guangxi, we eat tofu buns, fry tofu into a hollow, and steam the meat.

The origin of eating jiaozi from winter solstice.

Every year, during the winter solstice of the Lunar New Year, jiaozi is an indispensable holiday feast for both the rich and the poor. As the saying goes, "October 1st is the winter solstice? Every household eats jiaozi. " This custom was left in memory of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", who gave up medicine from the winter solstice.

Zhang Zhongjing is from Gedong, Nanyang. Treatise on Febrile Diseases, written by him, is a masterpiece of doctors and is regarded as a classic by doctors in past dynasties. Zhang Zhongjing has a famous saying: "if you advance, you will survive;" If you retreat, you will save the people; " You can't be a good doctor and you can't be a good doctor. "When the Eastern Han Dynasty was the magistrate of Changsha, he visited the sick and took medicine and practiced medicine in the lobby. Later, he resolutely resigned and went back to his hometown to treat his neighbors. When he got home, it was already winter. He saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River were sallow and emaciated, hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frozen. He asked his disciples to build a medical shed and a cauldron in Dongguan, Nanyang, and to give up "Quhan Joule Decoction" to treat chilblain on the day of winter solstice. He boiled mutton, pepper and some herbs for dispelling cold in a pot, then took out mutton and medicine and chopped them up, making ear-shaped dumplings with bread. After cooking, he distributed two horns and a big bowl of broth to everyone who came to ask for medicine. People ate "Joule" and drank "Quhan Decoction", and they were all hot, their ears were hot, and their frostbitten ears were cured. Later generations learned the appearance of Joule and packaged it into food, also called "jiaozi" or "flat food".

When you eat jiaozi on the solstice in winter, you will never forget the kindness of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", in "Quhan Joule Decoction". Up to now, there is still a folk song in Nanyang, which is called "jiaozi Bowl, and nobody cares about frozen ears." .

The legend of winter solstice cuisine

The solstice of winter is a severe winter season. People use food to keep warm and cure diseases. After thousands of years of development, they gradually formed a unique seasonal food tradition, such as wonton, jiaozi, glutinous rice balls, red bean porridge, dog meat and mutton. With the winter solstice, there are many folklore.

The custom of eating wonton on the solstice in winter has a long history. 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, Xiongnu 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 voice of "muddy" and "tun". They hated it and prayed for peace and peace. Because wonton was originally made on the winter solstice, every family later ate wonton on the winter solstice. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people in Lin 'an still ate wonton on the solstice in winter, which also contained hatred for foreigners and longing for peace.

People in Henan have the custom of eating jiaozi from the winter solstice, which is called "pinching frozen ears". There is also a legend: it is said that Zhang Zhongjing, a doctor in Nanyang, was originally a medical officer, and it was a snowy winter when he retired in his later years. He saw that the villagers in Nanyang were hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frozen. So he asked his disciples to set up a medicine shed in Guandong, Nanyang. They cooked mutton, peppers and some herbs for removing cold in a pot, fished them out and chopped them, kneaded them into ears with leather bags, and then put them down to cook them in a pot to make a soup for removing cold and correcting ears for the villagers to eat. After the villagers had eaten, their frozen ears were cured. Later, on the solstice in winter, people imitated this way of eating by pinching their ears, saying that eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter would not freeze people.

It is said that the custom of eating dog meat on the solstice began in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the solstice of winter. He thought it was particularly delicious. When he was hot, his head sweated, so he praised eating dog meat on the solstice in winter. Dog meat is hot, and eating it in winter can really warm the yang. Since then, the custom of eating dog meat from winter solstice has been formed among the people. After winter, the weather entered the coldest period. Chinese medicine believes that dog meat and mutton have the function of strengthening yang and tonifying deficiency. Eating dog meat, mutton and various nourishing foods in winter solstice and cold season can supplement the body so as to be energetic and strong in the coming year.

In Jiangnan water town, there is a custom of eating red bean porridge from winter to night. This is also due to the ancient legend, the son of the southern tribal leader * * *, who died in winter and became a plague after his death, and continued to harm the people. Because this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, people cook red bean porridge on the solstice in winter to drive away the epidemic ghost and prevent disasters. Later, this kind of red bean porridge was also called "winter solstice porridge", in which in addition to red beans, red dates and walnuts were added to supplement the body.