The custom of winter solstice in Shanghai

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 Troupe can be used for ancestor worship or as a gift 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.