What are the meanings and customs of beginning of winter?
It seems that the beginning of winter does not just mean the coming of winter. In a word, beginning of winter means that when winter begins, everything will be collected to keep out the cold.
The word winter is extremely wonderful in Chinese. First, it is homophonic with freezing. When people hear the sound of winter, they will associate it with the cold north wind and the cold frost and snow. Second, it is the last word to keep out the cold without silk, which means that the activities of everything in the world tend to stop and prepare for hibernation for the winter. It's time to end when people can harvest or get tired in a year. It's time to collect, make up for the winter, save your strength and welcome the spring.
3. Eating beginning of winter solar terms and jiaozi means harvesting in autumn and storing in winter. China used to be a farming society. People who have worked for a year should take advantage of beginning of winter to have a rest and reward their families for their hard work over the past year.
There is a proverb that "beginning of winter fills the winter and the mouth" is the best metaphor. In southern China, people like to eat some chicken, duck and fish in early winter. On this day in early winter in Taiwan Province Province, street restaurants such as "Mutton Stove" and "Ginger Duck" complement winter weddings. Many families will also stew sesame oil chicken and siwu chicken to supplement energy. People in northern China, especially those in Beijing and Tianjin, like to eat jiaozi.
Why does beginning of winter eat jiaozi? Because intercourse comes from the saying of "sexual intercourse time". New Year's Eve is to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, and beginning of winter is the turn of autumn and winter. When jiaozi is in love, he can't help eating. Nowadays, people have gradually restored this ancient custom. At the beginning of winter, all kinds of jiaozi are very popular.
He Dong, also known as "winter worship", had this custom in Han Dynasty. Cui Ding's "Four-person Moon Order" in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "On the day of the winter solstice, wine and food are served, respecting the teacher of the old gentleman and welcoming it as a sunny day." On this day in the Song Dynasty, people put on new clothes and celebrated exchanges, just like New Year's Day.
In the Qing dynasty, "the solstice is the winter solstice, and the literati pay homage to their elders and pay tribute to each other." Fine people, men and women, also bow to each other with fresher clothes, which is called "worship of winter" (see Ting Anne Lu, Volume XI). Since the Republic of China, the traditional customs of Hedong seem to have been simplified. However, some activities are gradually fixed, stylized and more universal. For example, in winter schools, teacher-worshipping activities are held in winter.
5. The way of celebrating beginning of winter in winter swimming is also innovative. During their stay in Harbin and beginning of winter, the athletes of Heilongjiang Winter Swimming Association crossed the Songhua River to welcome the arrival of winter in this way.
6. Winter swimming is a "three baths" integrating cold water bath, air bath and sunbathing, and it is the favorite fitness method for winter swimmers. The benefits of "three baths" are well known.
Especially in the current epidemic situation of "civilized diseases", the rich minerals and trace elements in rivers, lakes and seas, negative oxygen ions in the air and ultraviolet rays in sunbathing are very beneficial to fitness, oxygen supply and prevention of osteoporosis, and the degree of cold tolerance in winter is stronger than other sports on land.