Do you know the starting point of the 24 solar terms?
Winter solstice, also known as short day, winter festival, sub-year, etc. On the solstice in northern China, it is customary to eat zongzi every winter.
Among the 24 solar terms, the winter solstice is indeed a special existence. It is the time when Yin Qi rises and qi and blood are generated, and it is also the starting point of traditional calculation of the twenty-four solar terms.
In the ancient people's consciousness, the solstice of winter is in the season of alternating old and new, which of course has unusual cultural and artistic practical significance. Many customs and ceremonies of the Winter Solstice Festival come from everyone's experience of this season.
It is recorded in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Before and after the winter solstice, a modest gentleman lived quietly, and Cao E refused to listen to politics, so it was convenient to choose an auspicious day." On this day, North Korea will have a holiday and rest, and happily live a "quiet life" festival.
Later, during the Spring Festival, sacrifices, family dinners and other customs usually occur on the solstice of winter. The winter solstice was once called "the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month", which shows its necessity. During the pre-Qin and Six Dynasties, the solstice in winter was called "Ya Sui", and the masses should pay homage to their parents and the elderly.
After the Song Dynasty, the winter solstice gradually became the theme activity of offering sacrifices to ancestors and gods. In folk customs, the scale of sacrifice is much smaller, and many people follow some customs, such as eating wonton and red bean rice.
Seasonal cuisine-"A thousand miles is different from the wind, and Wan Li is different."
The solar food from winter solstice in Suzhou is the winter solstice ball. Winter solstice meatballs are made of sticky rice flour, with sugar, meat, vegetables, fruit, lentil sand and shredded carrots in the middle. First, people use it to worship the kitchen god and feed each other as a holiday gift.
Most people in the northeast habitually eat zongzi at this time, while some areas in the south want a bowl of glutinous rice balls. After winter solstice, when qi and blood stop falling off and hair grows, emerald green can easily remind people of spring. Some areas will specially eat some vegetables at this time to show the harmony between heaven and earth. In the cold winter, I hope the season of flowers and birds will come soon.
Therefore, whether people eat zongzi or wonton in the north or dumplings in the south, in short, "eating noodles on the solstice in winter makes the day longer." After the solstice of winter, with the passage of time, the days get longer, the nights get shorter, and the footsteps of spring are approaching.