Winter Solstice Customs: 1. The custom of worshipping ancestors during the winter Solstice In the folk, there is a custom of worshipping ancestors on the winter solstice. The ceremony of worshipping ancestors on winter Solstice is the same as that on New Year's Day. At the same time, people also pay respects to their parents and elders. In ancient times, there was a custom of offering shoes and socks to the elderly, which is still very popular today. There is a common saying in Fujian and Taiwan that "The winter Solstice is like the Spring Festival, but there is no ancestor". All the people who go out to make a living must go back to their hometown during the winter Solstice to celebrate the Spring Festival, indicating that they have a home at the end of the year. The winter Solstice custom of eating dumplings To eat dumplings on winter Solstice is to remember the "medical saint" Zhang Zhongjing's "Dispelling cold jiao er soup". Up to now, there is still a folk song in Nanyang that goes, "Don't eat dumpling bowl in winter Solstice, freeze your ears and nobody cares". Every year on the winter solstice, rich and poor alike, dumplings are a must. There is a saying: "On October 1, every family eats dumplings when the winter solstice arrives." This custom, is to commemorate the "medical saint" Zhang Zhongjing winter Solstice medicine left. The custom of the winter solstice is to dispel the cold After entering jiujiu, some literati, scholars and officials would engage in so-called cold elimination activities. They would choose one "jiu" day and invite nine people to drink (" jiu "is homonym with" jiu "). Nine dishes and nine bowls would be used at the banquet. 99 cold song: nineteen, 29 do not move; 39, 49 ice walk; Fifty-nine to sixty-nine, see willows along the river; Seven nine river ice open, swallow eight or nine; Ninety-nine plus nineteen, cattle walk everywhere. 4. Eating wontons on winter Solstice Word-wrap: break-word! Important; "> < p style =" max-width: 100%; It is said that during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), the Xiongnu (Huns) in the north often harassed the border areas, causing the people no peace. At that time, hun tribe and Tun tribe of two leaders, very fierce. People hate its guts, so with meat wrapped into a corner, take "hun" and "tun" sound, called "wonton". Hate to eat, and to calm the war, can live a peaceful life. Since wontons were first made on the winter Solstice, every family eats wontons on the day. Word-wrap: break-word! Important; "> < p style =" max-width: 100%; Taoist 唪经, on the table, to celebrate the birthday of the beginning of the Yuan. According to Taoism, the beginning of the yuan Dynasty symbolizes the first century of chaos and undivided tao qi. Hence the folk custom of eating wonton. "Yanjing records" said: "The shape of wonton is like a chicken egg, like the chaos of heaven and earth, so the winter solstice eclipse. In fact, "wonton" and "chaos" homophonic, so the folk will eat wonton lead stretch, break chaos, open up the world. Later generations no longer explain its original meaning, only spread the so-called "winter solstice wonton summer solstice noodles" proverb, regarded it simply as a festive diet. "> < p style =" max-width: 100%; clear: both; min-height: 1em; According to legend, Liu Bang, emperor Gaozu of han Dynasty, ate mutton cooked by Fan Kuai on the winter Solstice, and felt it was especially delicious and full of praise. Since then, the custom of eating mutton on the winter Solstice has been formed among the people. On this day, people eat mutton and various kinds of nourishing food in order to have a good omen for the coming year. In Tengzhou, Shandong province, this day is called Fujiu. Before the festival, gifts such as mutton will be sent to the elders. Every family of Fujiu will drink mutton soup, which is a good omen for the elders and families. Eating tangyuan is the custom of winter Solstice Eating tangyuan has become a custom in the Ming and Qing dynasties. On the day of the winter Solstice, people should "make flour balls" or "flour glutinous rice balls". These also have official records in historical materials, said that "in the winter solstice, flour glutinous rice balls, named 'Tangyuan'". Make dumplings to worship god after ancestor worship, and then the family around eating dumplings, called "Tian Sui". Therefore, eating tangyuan on winter Solstice is an ancient tradition. Eating tangyuan is a traditional custom on the winter solstice, especially in the South of the Yangtze River. Tangyuan is a kind of round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. "Yuan" means "reunion" and "completeness". Tangyuan is also called "winter Solstice tuan". There is a folk saying that "eating tangyuan makes one year older". The winter Solstice balls can be used to worship ancestors and give gifts to relatives and friends. In the old days, shanghainese were most particular about eating dumplings. The ancients have a poem: "every pound rice to make dumplings, know the Winter solstice day Ming Dynasty." . Yuan means "reunion" and "completeness". Eating tangyuan on winter Solstice symbolizes family harmony and good luck. Another explanation is that the winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. On that day, before dawn, women would make a fire to cook tangyuan, worship heaven and ancestors first, and then the whole family would sit around and eat tangyuan. Therefore, eating tangyuan on winter Solstice not only represents the gradual return of the sun (sunshine), but also represents reunion, and modern people prefer to regard it as a symbol of completeness. 7. Eating red bean and glutinous rice is the custom of winter Solstice In the water towns south of the Yangtze River, the whole family gets together to eat red bean and glutinous rice on the night of the winter Solstice. According to legend, The Gonggong family had untalented, evil, died in the winter solstice this day, after the death of the plague ghost, continue to harm the people. However, the ghost of plague was most afraid of red beans, so people cooked red beans and rice on the day of winter Solstice to drive away the ghost of plague and prevent diseases. Place the red beans in a pot of boiling water (the ratio of red beans to water is about 1:5). Cook until 80% done and remove. In addition, after scouring the glutinous rice, soak it overnight in the soup of boiled Red adzuki beans. The next day, stir the glutinous rice and red beans, steam them for about 40 minutes. The older generation of Changsha people all know that glutinous rice must be eaten on the day of winter Solstice. Glutinous rice is sweet in taste and warm in nature. It can nourish the healthy qi of the human body. After eating glutinous rice, it will get hot all over the body and play the role of keeping out the cold and nourishing. If you can use black glutinous rice, it would be even better, black glutinous rice is conducive to maternal nourishing postpartum body weakness, is conducive to increase milk, nursing babies. This recipe is delicious with sticky rice, preserved pork oil and red beans and peanuts. If you want to be healthier, you can reduce the proportion of bacon and add a little more beans and cereals.