The custom of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice is said to have been left behind in memory of the "Medical Saint" Zhang Zhongjing who gave away medicine during the Winter Solstice.

What is the origin of the custom of eating dumplings during the winter solstice?

Zhang Zhongjing was from Gendong, Nanyang. He wrote "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases", which is a collection of medical achievements and is regarded as a classic by doctors of all generations. Zhang Zhongjing has a famous saying: "If you advance, you will save the world; if you retreat, you will save the people; if you cannot be a good prime minister, you should also be a good doctor." Later, he resolutely resigned and returned to his hometown to treat his neighbors. It was winter when he returned home. He saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River were sallow and thin, hungry and cold, and many of them had their ears rotten by the cold. He asked his disciples to set up a medical tent and a large pot in Dongguan, Nanyang, and make "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction" to treat chilblains on the winter solstice. ?

He put mutton, chili peppers and some cold-repelling medicinal herbs in a pot and boiled them. Then he took out the mutton and medicinal herbs, chopped them up, and covered them with bread. The shape looked like an ear, so he took it. Named "Jiao Er". After it is cooked, each person who comes to ask for medicine is given two "Jiao Er" and a large bowl of broth. People ate "Jiao Er" and drank "Qu Han Tang", their whole bodies became warm, their ears felt hot, and their frostbitten ears were cured. Later generations imitated the appearance of "Jiao Er" and wrapped them into food, also called "dumplings" or "flat food". ?

Since then, the custom of making "Quhan Jiao Er Soup" on the Winter Solstice has been passed down, and has gradually evolved into the current custom of making dumplings during the Winter Solstice. Therefore, when eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice, we should not forget the kindness of "Medical Saint" Zhang Zhongjing's "Quhan Jiao Er Soup". The above is the origin of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice.

The origin of the Winter Solstice Festival

Since ancient times, our country has attached great importance to the Winter Solstice Festival. In the pre-Qin period, there was a ritual of offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods during the Winter Solstice. After the evolution and development of time, by the Ming and Qing dynasties, the ways of celebrating the winter solstice in the north and south showed different development trends. In the early Ming Dynasty, the winter solstice was quite lively in the north, and there was also a saying in the south that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year".

Due to the difference between the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, the winter solstice season in China is usually around December 21st to 23rd every year. The night on the winter solstice is very long. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the 24 solar terms were The calendar used to guide farming mainly uses the average time method to divide solar terms. In this way, the date between the winter solstice and the next winter solstice is called the middle Qi, and the middle Qi is further divided into 24 The winter solstice is just one of the solar terms, and it is a festival unique to our Chinese nation.

In addition to the custom of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice Festival, there are also customs such as winter sacrifices, praying for blessings, eating dumplings to relieve the cold, eating glutinous rice balls, eating mochi, and eating rice dumplings.

Introduction to other customs of the Winter Solstice Festival

1. Eating glutinous rice balls. Eating glutinous rice balls during the Winter Solstice is a traditional custom in my country, especially popular in Jiangnan. Eating glutinous rice dumplings during the Winter Solstice is also called "Winter Solstice dumplings"; glutinous rice balls can be used to worship ancestors and can also be used to give each other to relatives and friends.

2. Eat wontons. In many places in my country, there is a custom of eating wontons during the Winter Solstice. According to the Records of the Years in Yanjing, on the winter solstice, people in the capital eat more wontons. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an also had the custom of eating wontons every winter solstice. Zhou Mi from the Song Dynasty said that people in Lin'an eat wontons during the winter solstice to worship their ancestors.

3. Eat red bean and glutinous rice. In the Jiangnan water towns, there is a custom of the whole family gathering together to eat red beans and glutinous rice on the night of the winter solstice. People cook and eat red bean rice on the winter solstice to ward off plague ghosts, prevent disasters and cure diseases.

4. Eat soba noodles. Every winter solstice in Zhejiang and other places, the whole family, men, women, old and young, must gather together, and married daughters must rush back to their husband's house. Every household makes soba noodles. It is customary to believe that eating buckwheat during the Winter Solstice can remove pig and chicken feathers from the intestines and stomach.

6. Eat dog meat. There is a custom of eating dog meat in Guizhou and other areas during the winter solstice. The custom of eating dog meat during the winter solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the day of the winter solstice. He thought it tasted particularly delicious and was full of praise. Since then, the folk custom of eating dog meat during the winter solstice has been formed. Nowadays, people in Guizhou and other regions eat dog meat, mutton and various nutritious foods on the winter solstice in order to have a good omen in the coming year.

The above is an introduction to the origins of eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice Festival, the origins of the Winter Solstice Festival, and the customs related to the Winter Solstice. I hope it can help everyone~~