What are the traditional customs of the winter solstice?

The winter solstice is the 22nd solar term of the 24 solar terms. Meteorologically, the winter solstice is not the lowest temperature, but a sign of the coming cold season, and the "cold days of nine" begin at this time.

As an important traditional festival in China, the dietary customs of southern dumplings and northern dumplings have a long history, in addition to the winter solstice, there are many other very distinctive customs, let's take a look at it.

1, painting nine

The so-called painting nine, in fact, after the winter solstice to calculate the date of spring chart. The Ming Dynasty "Emperor Beijing Scenery" records: "winter solstice, painting a branch of plum, for the petal eighty one. Day dyeing a petal, petal end and nine nine out, then spring is deep, said nine nine cold map".

"Ninety-nine elimination of cold map" has three patterns, respectively, for the text, circles, plum blossoms three, with this way of counting the cold days of the day, telling people for the expectation of spring blossoms, but also as a warning in the cold winter solstice, warmth and health of the body is essential.

2, brewing rice wine

Traditional Gusu people, will drink winter wine on the night of the winter solstice, winter wine with glutinous rice or yellow rice, add cinnamon brewing, in the cold season, a bowl of rice wine fragrance and warmth, and then appropriate.

In modern times, the custom of brewing rice wine is still inherited, but the way to keep warm to be more too much, winter warming wine is good, but do not be greedy Oh, or then the beautiful wine will also play the opposite effect.

3, eat sweet potato soup fruit

This is China's Ningbo area of the traditional winter solstice diet, the winter solstice to eat sweet potatoes, that is, to the past year's bad luck all the "turn" over, ushered in a brand-new chapter of life.

Soup fruit is also called round, to take its "reunion", "complete" meaning, the winter solstice every family to a bowl, delicious warm and has a good meaning, can be called the best of the holiday diet.

4, drink mutton soup

The custom of eating mutton soup on the winter solstice is said to have begun in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Han Gaozu Liu Bang ate mutton soup cooked by Fan Kuai on the day of the winter solstice, and found the flavor particularly delicious and praised it. Since then, the custom of eating mutton soup on the winter solstice has been formed in folklore.

People have in the winter solstice this day, eat mutton soup and all kinds of tonic food, in order to have a good omen in the coming year. Now Tengzhou, Shandong - belt, this day is called Fu Jiu, before the festival will give the elders such as lamb and other gifts, Fu Jiu family to drink mutton soup, on the individual on the elders of the family are for a good omen.

5, ancestor worship

In folklore, a few days before and after the winter solstice is the day of ancestor worship. The way and content of the winter solstice ancestor worship exists between regional differences, with a strong local color. In some places in China, people have to pay tribute to their parents and elders at the same time as they pay tribute to their ancestors. People who go out to make a living, to rush back to their hometowns at the winter solstice, indicating that the end of the year has a home.

"The winter solstice resides in the change of the old and the new season, in the ancient concept it naturally has an extraordinary cultural significance, the winter solstice festivals and customs of many beliefs, rituals and content comes from the people's feelings about this time of the year."