We often say that the solstice of winter is New Year's Day, which has a lot to do with the time of winter solstice. The winter solstice every year is very close to the shortest day in the solar calendar when the sun stays in the northern hemisphere. In astronomy, it is of great significance in people's daily life and psychology. In ancient China, winter solstice was higher than Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival. The Zhou Dynasty also regarded it as New Year's Day, which was later changed, but it also attached great importance to it, and it was called "Asian Year", which was second only to "China Year". Christmas, the most important holiday in the west, is basically at this time, which shows that everyone coincides with each other. In the Han dynasty, the status of the winter solstice was improved again. According to Hanshu, on the solstice of winter, there are national festivals, such as burning incense, eating dog meat (poor dog), border closure, military standby, business rest, mutual visits between relatives and friends, and food gifts. It is as grand and lively as the New Year. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the emperor would hold a grand ceremony to worship heaven on this day. Everyone naturally has the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors. It was not until the Yuan Dynasty ruled China that the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven from the winter solstice gradually disappeared, but people dared not forget the "custom of the winter solstice".
Because the stay time of the sun is the shortest during the winter solstice, although the stay time increases day by day, the heat emitted by the ground is greater than the heat left by the sun, so the weather becomes very cold day by day, and the number of nine winters begins from the winter solstice. Tangyuan has more calories. Sugar, glutinous rice, lard or sesame are all high-calorie foods. However, due to the winter solstice, the human body needs to supplement a lot of heat, especially in the era of material shortage in the past, which is nothing at all. Of course, in today's society, we should pay due attention to the problem of heat. From the winter solstice in the north, pigs and sheep will be slaughtered in winter and stored in the snow. It's not that cold in the south, so meat can't be stored at low temperature alone, and it will start to smoke bacon. Of course, in the coastal areas of Guangdong, because the temperature is not too low in winter and the bacon is not well preserved, there are not many customs of making bacon. In the north, it is customary to eat meat and jiaozi on this day. There is a saying, "Don't eat frozen toes from winter to Sunday". On the day of winter solstice, people are not afraid of high heat, but welcome it. From the solstice of winter, they will store heat for their bodies to spend the cold winter.
Many people tend to mix Yuanxiao in the north with Tangyuan in the south. In fact, the two methods are different and taste different. To make Yuanxiao in the north, first make stuffing, cut it into small pieces and put it in a sieve. Pour in dry glutinous rice flour, sieve, wrap the stuffing with glutinous rice flour, then dip in water and continue to sieve and roll, and so on. Tangyuan is a bit like Bao jiaozi. First, add water to glutinous rice flour and knead it into a ball. Pull a small glutinous rice ball by hand and squeeze it into a circle. Pick a little stuffing with a spoon and put it on the glutinous rice slices, wrap it and knead it tightly, then knead it into a ball. Because the powder on the surface of Yuanxiao is dry, the combination of the two is not close, so the soup becomes thicker when it is boiled in water. Because the skin of Yuanxiao is dry, it absorbs water only when it is cooked, and the filling is not easy to absorb water when it is cooked, so the filling is dry. But the skin of glutinous rice balls is wet and closely combined with each other. The boiled soup is very clear, and the stuffing absorbs water and contains a lot of water. Yuanxiao is easily broken in the process of cooking, but glutinous rice balls are rarely broken. So Yuanxiao soup is very sweet and strong. The fillings of the two are not the same. Yuanxiao is mostly sugar and dried fruit. The classic glutinous rice balls should be made of pig's plate oil. After kneading, they will penetrate into black sesame powder, which is delicious, waxy, soft and warm. It can be said that Yuanxiao is thick and big, with thick skin and solid heart and rough taste. Jiaozi is white, soft and smooth, tender and sweet, and has a delicate taste.
On the winter solstice, the origin of rubbing glutinous rice balls in the "Eight Min Tongzhi Xinghua House Customs Winter Solstice" contains: "The glutinous rice in the early stage is a pill, and the day is early, which is recommended to Zukao." This is the folk custom of "solstice", "rubbing balls" and offering sacrifices to ancestors with mature "sweet balls" in the early winter of solstice.
The night before the winter solstice is called "winter solstice". That night, red candles were lit in every hall, and the lights were like day, which meant brilliant career. On the dining table, red oranges are regarded as "fruit yue" (that is, red oranges pile up into hills, hence the name). A "three spring" (that is, a paper flower of Fu Lushou cut by a folk paper cutter with red paper) is inserted in the top red orange, and a pair (ten pairs) of chopsticks with red paper strips around their waist are ginger and sugar respectively. After the family washes their hands, their parents light candles and incense, set off firecrackers and start rubbing pills. The ball you rub is white. If you are newly married, rubbing a red ball means that your family will be more prosperous. At this time, the woman put on a red shirt and shone in the light. The children laughed and were innocent. Everyone is surrounded by a big dustpan (commonly known as "Li Arc"), and the children are sitting on high stools, "eager to try". Housewives add boiling water to knead the ground glutinous rice flour (commonly known as "rice sacrifice") into round strips, pick them into big round blanks, and then knead them into "balls" the size of longan kernels with their palms. This is "rubbing pills on the winter solstice". Among them, the most interesting ones are: some adults are pinching ingots and cornucopia; Some pinch puppies and pigs, and adopt common sayings such as "making money into treasure" and "being a dog, being a pig and being a treasure", which means "the wealth is extensive and the six animals are prosperous". Children are most interested in puppies and pigs, cheering "Grandpa is making a dog", "Dad is making a dog" and "Mom and Grandma are making a pig!" The whole family burst into laughter. Some rub "magpie pills" the size of beans (commonly known as "guest bird pills"). The children are always rubbing around, some are flat and some are long, even he feels funny. Some people put rice sacrifices on their eyebrows and noses, which is really ridiculous and lovely. If the child drops the meatball on the ground, let the child pick it up and blow off the dust, otherwise it will grow ugly in the future. It means educating children to cherish food from an early age. After "rubbing pills", put the "pills" into the "Dai Li Single Room", cover it and put it in front of the stove for the night.
Winter solstice has the longest night, and children like to eat meatball soup. When I can't sleep, I clamor for my mother to eat meatball soup before dawn. Therefore, there is a nursery rhyme of "Love meatball soup and look forward to it before dawn". Housewives pour "meatballs" into the pot, add water and ginger and sugar (ginger and sugar can dispel cold and stimulate appetite) to make sweet, sweet, sticky and hot "sweet meatball soup". After offering it to ancestors, it is shared by the whole family. It is necessary to stick "balls" on the door frame to commemorate "Cheng Men Hu Wei" and protect the safety of family members. Also throw "(feed) magpie pills" on the roof (generally 12 pills, leap year 13 pills, which means peace every month of the year). Magpies come to fight for food, making a great uproar, commonly known as "good news", which means five blessings.