What do you eat on the winter solstice in the south? Why do you eat jiaozi on the solstice in winter? The origin of eating jiaozi in winter solstice.

Tangyuan originated in the Song Dynasty. At that time, Mingzhou (now Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province) began to eat a novel food, which was filled with black sesame seeds and lard, added with a little sugar, and wrapped in glutinous rice flour. After cooking, it tastes sweet, delicious and interesting. Because this glutinous rice dumpling floats and is heavy when cooked in a pot, it was originally called "floating Zi Yuan" and was later renamed as jiaozi in some areas.

However, jiaozi symbolizes better family reunion. Eating jiaozi in the new year means family happiness, so it is a must-have food for the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month. In some areas in the south, people will also get used to eating glutinous rice balls during the Spring Festival instead of jiaozi.

Winter solstice, also commonly known as "Winter Festival", "Dragon solstice Festival" and "Asian New Year", is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. The custom of winter solstice originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and has continued to this day. Lu even said that "winter is as big as a year", which shows that the ancients attached great importance to winter. Because of this, the diet culture from winter solstice is rich and colorful, and after thousands of years of development, it has formed a unique seasonal diet culture.

Eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter is especially popular in Jiangnan. There is a folk saying that "eating glutinous rice balls is one year older". Tangyuan is also called dumplings, and eating dumplings on the solstice in winter is also called "winter solstice reunion" or "winter solstice yen" According to the records of Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan people made dough with glutinous rice flour covered with lean meat, apples, bean paste, shredded radish and so on. The winter solstice group can be used to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends.