The winter solstice, commonly known as the "Winter Festival", is an important solar term in the China lunar calendar. On this day, because the sun points directly at the tropic of Capricorn, the days in the northern hemisphere are the shortest and the nights are the longest. After the winter solstice, the days in the northern hemisphere will get longer and the nights will get shorter. How much do you know about these folk stories?
the folklore and legend of eating jiaozi on the winter solstice
jiaozi on the tip of the tongue: the folklore and legend of eating jiaozi on the winter solstice
In ancient China, the winter solstice was very important, and it was once said that it was as big as a year, and there was a custom to celebrate it. "Han Shu" said: "The sun is shining on the winter solstice, and the monarch is long, so congratulations." People think that after the winter solstice, the days are getting longer and the sun's spirit is rising, which is the beginning of a solar cycle and an auspicious day and should be celebrated. It is recorded in the Book of Jin that "the Winter Solstice of Wei, Jin, was congratulated by all countries and hundreds of people ... its appearance was inferior to that of Zhengdan." Explain the importance attached to the winter solstice in ancient times.
Every year, on the Winter Solstice of the Lunar New Year, jiaozi is an indispensable holiday meal for the rich and the poor. As the saying goes, "On October 1st, when the winter solstice comes, every family eats dumplings." There is a saying in the north, "Winter Solstice jiaozi Summer Solstice Noodles". Do you know why you eat jiaozi on the winter solstice?
Why do you eat jiaozi on the winter solstice?
jiaozi's original name was Jiao 'er, which was first invented by Zhang Zhongjing, a medical sage in China.
at the end of the eastern Han dynasty, disasters were severe in various places, and many people were suffering from diseases. There is a famous doctor named Zhang Ji in Nanyang, whose name is Zhongjing. He studied medical books hard since childhood and learned from others, becoming the founder of traditional Chinese medicine. Zhang Zhongjing not only has a good medical skill, but also has a noble medical ethics. He has treated the poor and the rich seriously and saved countless lives.
when Zhang Zhongjing was an official in Changsha, he often cured diseases for the people. One year, when the local plague prevailed, he built a cauldron at the entrance of Yamen, giving up medicine to save people, which won the love of Changsha people. Zhang Zhongjing retired from Changsha and went to his hometown Baihe. On the shore, I saw many poor people suffering from hunger and cold, and their ears were frozen. He was very upset and determined to treat them. When Zhang Zhongjing came home, there were many people seeking medical treatment. He was as busy as a bee, but he always remembered those frozen rotten things in his heart. The poor people with ears. Following the example of Changsha, he told his disciples to set up a medical shed and cauldron in an open space in Dongguan, Nanyang, and open it on the day of the winter solstice to give medicine to the poor to cure their injuries.
Zhang Zhongjing's medicine is called "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction", which is made by boiling mutton, pepper and some cold-dispelling medicinal materials in a pot, then taking these things out and chopping them up, making them into ear-shaped "Jiaoer" with flour wrappers, and cooking them in the pot. Give it to patients begging for medicine. Each person has two charming ears and a bowl of soup. After eating Quhan decoction, people feel warm all over, their blood is smooth, and their ears get warm. After eating it for a while, the patient's rotten ears healed.
Zhang Zhongjing gave up medicine until New Year's Eve. On the first day of the New Year, people celebrate the New Year, and also celebrate the recovery of rotten ears. They cooked food for the New Year just like Jiaoer and ate it on the morning of the first day. People call this kind of food "dumpling ears", "jiaozi" or partial eclipse, and eat it on the winter solstice and the first day of the new year to commemorate the day when Zhang Zhongjing opened a shed to give medicine and cure patients.
It is nearly 18 years since Zhang Zhongjing, but his story of "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction" has been widely circulated among the people. On the winter solstice and the first day of New Year's Day, people eat jiaozi, and they still remember Zhang Zhongjing's kindness. Today, we don't need to cure frozen rotten ears with charming ears, but jiaozi has become the most common and favorite food for people.
Auspicious implication of all kinds of dumpling stuffing
Celery stuffing means diligence and wealth, so it is called diligence and wealth dumplings
Diligence means diligence and diligence; Often, diligence * * * frequently * * * continuously, which is called diligence. It is a blessing for the endless material wealth; It is also a blessing to hard work and pragmatism.
leek stuffing-that is, it means long-term wealth, so it is called long-term wealth dumplings
long-term: that is, long time and long time, it is called long-term wealth. It is a material wealth to pray for a long time; It is also a blessing for eternity, and I hope that people will last for a long time-health, harmony, happiness and happiness.
Chinese cabbage stuffing, which means a hundred treasures, is called a hundred treasures dumpling.
Hundred: a quantifier, which means a hundred kinds of meanings, is called a hundred treasures. Blessing for all kinds of wealth; Or to wish the newlyweds a long life together.
Mushroom stuffing-that is, drum wealth dumplings
Drum: that is, it rises and protrudes, and the shape of mushrooms is like an upward arrow, or it is the trend of the stock market, which means drum wealth; Or to express good wishes for the younger generation to get ahead.
sauerkraut stuffing-that is, counting money means counting money, so it is called counting money dumplings
counting: counting and clearing. If the money is enough to count one night, how much is it? Call it counting money; Or for the blessing of choice, choice is greater than effort, and I hope that relatives and friends can have a good choice and choose well.
Rapeseed stuffing-that is, dumplings with wealth
There is: there is. Anyone who has seen Zhao Benshan's sketches will forget "talented, so talented!" What about this famous saying? . Call it wealth; I wish you wealth and even more talent.
Fish stuffing means surplus money, so it is called surplus money dumplings
surplus: surplus, extra, wishing you a surplus every year, which is called surplus money. What you pay is hard work, what you get is wealth, and what I leave behind is health.
Beef stuffing-that is, Niu Cai means Niu Cai Jiao
Niu: that is, Niu Qi, which is the favorite of friends in stock trading, is called Niu Cai every day when there is a bull market; I wish my friends good health and full of bullishness.
mutton stuffing-that is, foreign wealth means foreign wealth dumplings
foreign: that is, vast and numerous; It is wider than the sea, and I wish you a fortune, which is called a fortune.
jujube stuffing-that is, lucky dumplings
trick: call, just like the god of wealth, the wealth in the world is at your disposal, which is called lucky. Traditionally, I like to wrap coins in jiaozi, and what I get is the best luck, but it is not very safe and hygienic, so I wrap big red dates and wish what I eat will be prosperous and full of enthusiasm in the new year.
potherb stuffing-meaning wild wealth, so it is called wild wealth dumplings
Wild: wild, or accidental. Who doesn't like a green and healthy windfall? It is called wild wealth.
vegetable stuffing-that is, money arrives, so it means money arrives at dumplings
money arrives: that is, money arrives, the god of wealth arrives, and it means receiving wealth. Vegetable stuffing, namely vegetarian stuffing and vegetable stuffing, is called wealth.
sweet stuffing means adding money, so adding money to dumplings
adding money means adding money. That is, sweets or dumplings, moon cakes, etc.; It is even more homophonic with genius, which is called adding wealth.
what else to eat on the winter solstice? Customs vary greatly from place to place
Suzhou people eat wonton on the winter solstice and remember Xi Shi
Suzhou was the capital of the State of Wu 2,5 years ago, and the ancestor of the State of Wu was a descendant of King Tai of Zhou, who once took the winter solstice as the beginning of the year, so the ancient city of Suzhou still has the custom of "the winter solstice is as big as a year".
On the winter solstice, Suzhou people also have the custom of eating wonton. According to legend, the prince of Wu, who was tired of eating delicacies, had no appetite, so beauty Xi Shi went into the imperial kitchen and wrapped up a snack for him. The king of Wu swallowed a big bowl in one breath and repeatedly asked, "What kind of dim sum is this? It's so delicious." Xi Shi thought, "Chaos." Later, in order to commemorate the delicious food created by Xi Shi, Suzhou people designated wonton as the food for the Winter Solstice Festival.
Eat "brains" on the winter solstice in Ningxia
On the winter solstice, there is a custom in Yinchuan to drink powder soup and eat mutton powder soup jiaozi. Yinchuan people also gave mutton powder soup a special name-"brain". Mutton powder soup is made by cooking mushrooms and mutton, with seasonings such as salt, ginger, onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, etc. After the soup is made, it is put into cut pieces and soaked vermicelli, and then chives, garlic sprouts and coriander are added, so that a pot of colorful mutton powder soup is ready, with a fragrant smell and mouth watering.
After jiaozi has made the noodle soup, he should first serve a bowl of it, and also serve a bowl to his neighbors. Mutton powder soup jiaozi has a unique way and a spicy and delicious taste. Now it has become a special snack in Yinchuan.
In Chaoshan area, the winter solstice is also called "Little Chinese New Year", which is a big folk festival. On this day, ordinary people should prepare enough three kinds of animals and fruits, such as pork, chicken and fish, go to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, and then their families will gather around the table for a meal. In coastal areas, it is necessary to worship the ancestors before the fishermen go fishing, pray for the fishermen, and ask the gods and ancestors to bless their safe return from the sea.
there is a saying in Chaoshan that "eating the winter festival round is one year older", in which "the winter festival round" is the glutinous rice balls, which are also called sweet pills in Chaoshan area. The custom of eating sweet pills on the winter solstice is almost universal in Chaoshan area. A long time ago, these sweet pills were not only used for eating, but also pasted on the roofs and beams of their own houses. First, the sweet pills were round, indicating a bumper harvest and family reunion next year, and second, they were used to thank the mice for sending five-grain seeds to farmers. Nowadays, people don't stick sweet pills, but the custom of eating glutinous rice balls on the Winter Solstice Festival is still spread to this day.
Eating red bean glutinous rice on the Winter Solstice Festival in Jiangnan Watertown
In Jiangnan Watertown in China, it is a custom for the whole family to get together and eat red bean glutinous rice on the night of the Winter Solstice.
According to legend, * * * Gong's family was a gifted scholar who did many evils and died on the winter solstice. After his death, he became an epidemic ghost and continued to harm the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red beans and glutinous rice on the winter solstice to ward off the epidemic ghost and prevent disasters.
Every family in Shanghai eats glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice
In old Shanghai, there was a poem that said, "Every family mashed rice to make glutinous rice balls and knew it was the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty." Shanghainese are used to eating glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice to celebrate the arrival of the winter solstice. Dough is made of glutinous rice flour, which is covered with various fillings. The prepared dumplings are used to worship ancestors and give to relatives and friends.
People in Hangzhou eat rice cakes three times a day
People in Hangzhou like to eat rice cakes on the winter solstice to celebrate. Every winter solstice, cakes are made to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. In the diet, three meals will make rice cakes with different flavors, such as rice cakes mixed with sesame powder and sugar, fried rice cakes with shredded pork and so on. People in Hangzhou eat rice cakes on the winter solstice for good luck, which means getting older.
All kinds of winter solstice eating customs in China are still widely spread, which shows the important influence of this day on people's farming, work and daily life. Indeed, the winter solstice is the arrival of the cathode, and the yang begins to arrive. After that, there are slight chills, severe chills and nine-odd, which indicates that the coldest day of the year is coming. Therefore, we should pay more attention to keep warm in winter after the winter solstice, and eat more warm food in the diet to enhance our ability to keep out the cold.
Taiwan Province: Nine-layer cake for ancestor worship
In Taiwan Province, China, the tradition of ancestor worship with nine-layer cake is still stored. On the winter solstice, people knead glutinous rice flour into animals such as chickens, ducks, pigs, cows and sheep, which symbolize good luck and good luck, and then steam them in layers in a steamer to worship ancestors to show that they will not forget their ancestors.
The story of the origin of eating jiaozi in the winter solstice
Nu Wa is an anticlimactic goddess and the mother of mankind in Chinese national legends. After Pangu opened the heavens and split the earth, she wandered around between heaven and earth, intoxicated with the infinite fun of nature. She likes to be friends with trees and flowers and keep company with birds, animals, insects and fish. However, after living like this for too long, Nu Wa began to feel a little boring and boring.
One day, Nu Wa came to the sparkling lake and saw her figure swaying in the lake. She suddenly had an idea: Why not create some intelligent and spiritual creatures like me?
So, she reached out and grabbed a mass of wet soil by the water. According to her own appearance, she squeezed out very interesting little things, and suddenly added legs to them that matched her arms. As soon as the little thing touched the ground, it immediately frolicked and cheered loudly around her: "Mom! Mom! " Nu Wa's heart was full of sweetness and joy, and she named them "people"
Nu Wa kept kneading, resting against the tree when she was tired, and drinking a handful of clear lake water when she was thirsty. She kept doing it all the year round until the winter solstice, when the weather was extremely cold and the ears of loess people were always frozen off. She put a small hole in each loess person's ear, passed it with a thread, tied it at one end, and stuffed it into the loess person's mouth for the loess person to bite, so as to ensure that the little person's ear was not frozen off.
When Nu Wa looked around, she saw the little people she had pinched before. Some were dancing by the water, some were playing in the grass, and some were bathing in the sunshine on the top of the mountain ... "How long will it take for these little people to spread all over the world? My kneading method is really too slow. " Nu Wa thought.
Suddenly, Nu Wa saw a long wisteria on the cliff. "There's an idea!" As a result, Nu Wa unplugged the wisteria, dipped it in the mud, and with a wave of her hand, the mud on the wisteria splashed on the ground bit by bit, becoming cute little people in succession.
In order to keep human beings alive, Nu Wa divided them into men and women. For this reason, human beings have stretched from generation to generation, and the number has been increasing.
On the winter solstice, the coldest day in winter, people don't forget to make ear-shaped food with stuffing, which means that the loess people made by Nuwa bite the ears with stuffing to avoid being frozen off. People also named this food jiaozi. In this way, the custom of eating jiaozi on the Winter Solstice Festival has been handed down.