What is the saying about rain on the winter solstice? Do you eat dumplings on the beginning of winter or on the winter solstice?

"It rains on the winter solstice, but it will be sunny until the end of the year" is actually an agricultural proverb. Agricultural proverbs are the experience summed up by people in long-term production practice. The weather is cold during the winter solstice, so people will eat some nourishing and warm food to replenish energy. The following is the origin and customs of the winter solstice.

Contents of this article

1. What is the saying about rain during the winter solstice?

2. Do you eat dumplings on the Beginning of Winter or the Winter Solstice?

3. The Origin and Customs of Winter Solstice

What does it mean when it rains on the winter solstice?

"If it rains on the Winter Solstice, it will be sunny until the end of the year" is actually an agricultural proverb, which means that if it rains on the Winter Solstice, the weather will turn sunny and will remain sunny until the end of the year. This agricultural proverb is exaggerated, and it does not really mean that it will be sunny until the end of the year.

Farmer's proverbs are just a traditional culture nowadays and are no longer applicable to modern farming. Of course, for the older generation of farmers, they have experienced a time when there was no weather forecast, so they still believe in these farmer's proverbs very much.

Agricultural proverbs are the experiences summarized by people in long-term production practice. Agricultural production is inseparable from soil, fertilizer, water, temperature and even seasons, weather and climate conditions. These aspects occupy a large amount of content in agricultural proverbs.

It refers to proverbs about agricultural production, which are differentiated from ballads. Agricultural production in a broad sense includes five industries: agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production and fishery. Agriculture also includes crops, fruits and vegetables, sericulture, etc. These contents can be found in agricultural proverbs.

Do you eat dumplings on the Beginning of Winter or the Winter Solstice?

Generally, people in the north eat dumplings on the winter solstice, because dumplings look like ears, so there is also a custom of eating dumplings to prevent the ears from freezing. However, in the Beijing-Tianjin area in the north, there is also a custom of eating dumplings on the beginning of winter, because the beginning of winter is "the time of handing over money", which is homophonic with dumplings, so dumplings are eaten.

Eating dumplings on the winter solstice is a traditional custom in the north, and there is a saying that "dumplings on the winter solstice and noodles on the summer solstice". However, in the Beijing-Tianjin area in the north, there is also a traditional folk custom of eating dumplings on the beginning of winter, because the beginning of winter is the transition between autumn and winter, and it is the "time of exchange", so eating dumplings is to obey the will of heaven and reward a year of hard work.

Therefore, only the Beijing-Tianjin area has the traditional custom of eating dumplings on the beginning of winter, while the North generally eats dumplings on the winter solstice. Although the time of the two is different, the custom of "replenishing the winter" is the same. The main reason for eating dumplings on the winter solstice in the North is that dumplings are very similar to ears, so eating dumplings can protect the ears from freezing.

On the day of the winter solstice, people in the north will get up early to prepare the ingredients for making dumplings, such as mixing dough, making stuffing, wrapping dumplings, etc. There are many fillings to choose from for dumplings eaten on the winter solstice, generally cabbage and pork, leeks and eggs, with both meat and vegetables, so that you can have a balanced diet and achieve the purpose of food supplement.

The Origin and Customs of Winter Solstice

The origin of the Winter Solstice is said to be that the ancient doctor Zhang Zhongjing used dough to wrap medicinal materials to make "Quhan Jiao'er Soup" to give to the people in order to cure frostbite. Eventually, it was gradually passed down and became the custom of eating dumplings on the Winter Solstice. In addition to the custom of eating dumplings on the Winter Solstice, people in the southern region also eat glutinous rice balls and even hold ancestor worship activities.

According to legend, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the great doctor Zhang Zhongjing could not bear to see the poor people starving and freezing, so he used dough to wrap medicinal materials to make food that looked like ears, and then used mutton to cook soup to make "Quhan Jiao'er Soup" and gave it to the people. After eating Jiao'er Soup, the people felt hot all over and their frostbite also improved.

Later, people also learned to make Jiao'er Soup from Zhang Zhongjing, and to drive away the cold and commemorate Zhang Zhongjing, and the day when Zhang Zhongjing gave alms happened to be the winter solstice, so the custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice gradually became popular. At first, people ate dumplings just for food supplement, and eventually it evolved into a custom of "eating dumplings on the winter solstice can prevent ears from frostbite."

The weather is cold during the winter solstice, so people eat nourishing and warm foods to replenish their energy. In northern my country, people usually eat dumplings during the winter solstice, while in southern China, people eat glutinous rice balls to wish for a happy family reunion. In addition, in some areas, people worship their ancestors during the winter solstice to wish for good weather and family harmony in the coming year.