The winter solstice solar term is one of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms, usually referring to the time when the sun reaches 270° ecliptic longitude on December 21 or 22 of the solar calendar. According to historical records, the winter solstice solar term first originated in the Zhou Dynasty. In ancient China, people had a unique way of attaching importance to and celebrating the winter solstice solar terms, which originated from ancient ideological and cultural traditions. The winter solstice is regarded as one of the most important solar terms of the year and is known as the "Winter Festival" or "Yayang Festival", and various rituals are held on this day to pray for good weather and abundant crops in the coming year.
At the same time, there are also a series of traditional customs and eating habits related to the winter solstice. An important traditional custom is the "winter solstice tonic", the winter solstice is suitable for tonic warm ingredients, in the northern region, there is a tradition of eating sauerkraut fish, sauerkraut fish is sour and spicy, it warms the stomach and warms the body, and it has also become one of the delicacies of the winter solstice. It is believed that the winter solstice solar term is an excellent time for the body to recover. In the folk, there is a saying that "eat dumplings on the winter solstice" and "drink wine on the winter solstice", and the saying that if you don't eat dumplings on the winter solstice festival, you will "freeze your ears" comes from the proverb in the north. There is a custom of eating dumplings in northern China, because dumplings are shaped like horn boxes, which means "reunion and reunion". People gather to make dumplings and reunite with their families while eating dumplings to express their hopes for a better life and prayers for family happiness. In addition, there are days when you eat sweets, sticky rice, and other foods to pray for sweetness.
In southern China, there is a custom of eating tangyuan during the winter solstice solar term, which is a traditional food made of glutinous rice milk, which can be wrapped in different fillings according to personal taste, such as black sesame, osmanthus, peanut filling, etc. If you don't like sweets, you can also change the taste, wrap the pork filling, put an appropriate amount of shallots, and bite into it, which is full of aroma. Tangyuan symbolizes family reunion and happiness in the south, and is more auspicious and blessed on the day of the winter solstice.
In addition to food customs, people have some special activities on the day of the winter solstice. For example, in some places, there are customs of "winter solstice paddling" and "winter solstice sunbathing", and bathing or doing some water-related activities on the day of the winter solstice is said to increase the health of the body. At the same time, in people's eyes, the winter solstice also marks the beginning of the recovery of yang energy, so on the day of the winter solstice, basking in the sun is also considered to be good for good health. As an important solar term in the lunar calendar, the winter solstice is also closely related to farming culture. On the day of the winter solstice, people used to perform rituals to pray to the gods for a good harvest in the coming year, and also to place good hopes on the cultivation of the fields.
The winter solstice solar term has a long history and cultural connotation in China, and people pray for happiness, health, and harvest through celebrations and food customs. These traditional customs not only reflect the inheritance of traditional culture by Chinese, but also carry people's good wishes and expectations for life.