Winter Solstice Customs

Southern winter solstice customs are as follows:

1, eating patties: according to the tradition of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, winter solstice will pound patties, the participation of a very large number of people, very grand. In Yunnan, there is also the custom of eating mochi on the winter solstice. And every ancestor or major festivals, or red and white celebrations, to do patties, therefore, in the old country patties called "big patties", today's common dumplings are some disdain is called "small patties".

2, eat sweet pills: According to legend, the winter solstice in the Han Dynasty, there has been "into the wine and food, to visit and congratulate the masters of the elders," the custom. Since the Song and Yuan, Chao custom prevailed in eating sweet pills. Sweet pills are both powdered glutinous rice and water rolled pills cooked into sweet soup, is the most representative of the winter solstice food. Before the winter solstice, peasant housewives have pounded glutinous rice flour (now mostly mechanical rolling), some of them are interchangeable, gifts to friends and relatives.

3, eat dumplings: eat dumplings in the Ming and Qing dynasties have been agreed upon. In the winter solstice day, to "make powder round" or "powder glutinous rice for the ball". These are also officially recorded in the historical records, said "winter solstice, powdered glutinous rice for the ball, the name 'Tangyuan'". After making dumplings to worship the gods and ancestors, and then eat dumplings around the family, called "add years". Therefore, the winter solstice to eat dumplings, ancient.

4, eat barbecued pork: winter solstice this day, most Cantonese people have a "dish" to eat winter solstice meat custom. Among them, barbecue is the Guangdong people winter solstice table essential traditional food. The whole family will prepare some bacon and sausage for a meal to pray for good luck in the coming year, in addition to offering sacrifices to their ancestors.

5, eat nine layers of cake: Taiwan still preserves the winter solstice with nine layers of cake ancestor worship tradition, with glutinous rice flour pinched chicken, duck, turtle, pig, cow, sheep and other symbols of good luck in the meaning of fortune, fortune and longevity of the animals, and then steamed in layers with a steamer, used to ancestor worship to show that we do not forget the old ancestors. The winter festival "winter supplement" has also become a custom in Taiwan. On the day before the Winter Festival, after dinner, each family rubs round in the hall. The old custom was to avoid speaking out of turn when rubbing rounds.

6, eat rice cakes: rice cakes, rice cakes, high year high. Eat rice cake, is to discuss a "year more than a year high" color. From the end of the Qing Dynasty to the beginning of the Civil War, Hangzhou people to the winter solstice this day, all have to eat rice cakes.

7, eat red beans and glutinous rice: in China's Jiangnan water towns, the night of the winter solstice, the whole family gathered *** eat red beans and glutinous rice custom. Legend has it that, *** work has not talented son, evil, died on the winter solstice this day, after death into the epidemic ghost, continue to brutalize the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook and eat red beans and glutinous rice on the day of the winter solstice to drive away the epidemic ghosts, disaster prevention and disease relief.

The phenomenon of physical phenomena

Some ancient Chinese literature divides the Winter Solstice into three seasons: "The first seasons of earthworms; the second seasons of elk horns; the third seasons of water springs move." It means that the earthworms in the soil are still curled up, and the moose feel the yin qi gradually receding and unraveling their horns. Because the winter solstice after the sun's point of direct sunlight back to the north, the sun back and forth movement into a new cycle, the sun's altitude since then back up, the day grows day by day, so at this time in the mountains of the spring water can flow and warm.

Source: Baidu Wikipedia - Winter Solstice