What is the origin of the winter solstice? Do you drink old duck soup?

The winter solstice is an important solar term among the 24 solar terms, and it is also a traditional folk festival in China. Winter solstice is one of the eight festivals in a year. In ancient times, there was a custom of "eight festivals" to worship the gods and ancestors. There is a folk saying that the solstice in winter is as big as a year, so the ancients called it "sub-year" or "off-year" As early as 2500 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, people used earth gauges to observe the sun to determine the winter solstice.

You can eat old duck soup on the solstice in winter. Fatty acids in duck meat have a low melting point and are easy to digest. It contains more B vitamins and vitamin E than other meats, which can effectively resist beriberi, neuritis and various inflammations, and also resist aging. Nicotinic acid contained in duck meat has a protective effect on patients with heart diseases such as myocardial infarction. In northern China, jiaozi, dog meat and mutton are eaten every winter to Sunday. In southern China, there are customs of eating glutinous rice balls, buckwheat noodles, roasted meat, rice cakes and ginger rice.