1, the story of Jiaozi
Zhang Zhongjing is from Gedong, Nanyang. Treatise on Febrile Diseases, written by him, is a masterpiece of doctors and is regarded as a classic by doctors in past dynasties. Zhang Zhongjing has a famous saying: "if you advance, you will survive;" If you retreat, you will save the people; " You can't be a good doctor and you can't be a good doctor. "
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, he served as the magistrate of Changsha, visiting the sick and taking medicine, and practicing medicine in the lobby. Later, he resolutely resigned and went back to his hometown to treat his neighbors. It was already winter when he came home this year. He saw that the villagers on both sides of the Baihe River were sallow and emaciated, hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frozen. He asked his disciples to build a medical shed and cauldron in Dongguan, Nanyang, and treat frostbite with "Quhan Joule Decoction" on the day of winter solstice.
What is "Quhan Joule Decoction"? That is, mutton, peppers and some cold-dispelling herbs are boiled in a pot, and then the mutton and herbs are taken out and chopped. Then make ear-shaped "Joules" from bread. After cooking, give two Joules and a big bowl of broth to everyone who asks for medicine. People eat "Joule" and drink "Quhan Decoction", so they are warm all over and their ears are hot, and frostbitten ears will naturally recover.
Later generations learned the appearance of Joule and packaged it into food, also called "jiaozi" or "flat food". Eating jiaozi in winter solstice is a good deed of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", in Quhan Joule Decoction. Up to now, there is still a folk song in Nanyang, which is called "jiaozi Bowl, and nobody cares about frozen ears." . Eat a bowl of hot jiaozi on the solstice of winter, and wish yourself to survive this winter and usher in the new year.
2. The story of wonton
In the northern winter solstice, besides eating jiaozi, another popular custom is eating wonton. "Yanjing Years Old" records: "Winter Solstice Wonton and Summer Solstice Noodle." Eating wonton in winter is very popular in the north, which is related to the story of history.
According to legend, when wuyue was fighting for hegemony, the King of Wu defeated the King of Yue, and not only got a lot of gold and silver treasures, but also got an ingenious beauty. I was surprised when I tried to eat the pastry food made by the teacher. I asked what a stone was, but the stone thought that the bad king was greedy for beauty and ignored state affairs, so he took the word "chaos" as a homonym and said it was wonton. Since then, wonton has flowed into the people. In order to commemorate the teacher's wisdom and creativity, the king of Wu stipulated to eat wonton in winter as a souvenir.
There is another saying that originated in the Western Han Dynasty. It is said that eating wonton is the ancient people's pursuit of a peaceful and stable life, in order to drive away the wicked.
According to legend, in the Western Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu in the north often harassed the frontier and the people were restless. At that time, there were two leaders, Xiongnu tribe and Tun tribe, which were very cruel. The people hated it, so they wrapped it into a corner with meat stuffing and called it "wonton" with the sound of "muddy" and "swallowing". Hate and eat, and seek to calm the war and live a peaceful life. Because wonton was originally made on the solstice in winter, it has become the custom of every household to eat wonton on the solstice in winter.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, the custom of eating wonton to worship ancestors on the solstice in winter was very popular. People also think that eating wonton is a respect, memory and sacrifice to the Yellow Emperor or those who made epoch-making things.
3. The story of glutinous rice
Compared with the north, southerners choose to eat jiaozi or red bean glutinous rice on the solstice in winter.
In the impression of most people, eating glutinous rice balls from winter solstice in the south is related to the original name of glutinous rice balls, which means reunion from winter solstice to Sunday, that is, reunion after the Spring Festival. Now, people often use the second explanation, which means reunion.
However, few people know the custom of eating red bean glutinous rice on the solstice in winter. In fact, about the cultural inheritance of red bean glutinous rice, legend has it that it is related to epidemic ghosts.
According to legend, there was a man named Gong. He had an incompetent son who died in the winter solstice and became a plague after his death, which continued to harm the people. However, this kind of epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice from winter solstice to avoid epidemic ghosts, drive away diseases and prevent disasters.
Later, people wrapped all kinds of vegetables with glutinous rice on the solstice in winter, and made stuffing with meat, which was used not only for ancestor worship, but also for gifts to relatives and friends.
4. The story of dog meat
As the saying goes: "Winter is coming, dog meat is fat", "Dog meat rolls three times, and the gods can't stand". In the cold winter, eating a delicious dog meat suddenly makes you feel warm and full of strength. Chinese medicine generally believes that dog meat has the effects of warming spleen and stomach, tonifying kidney and strengthening yang, strengthening body and nourishing blood vessels; Eating dog meat can enhance people's physique, improve digestion and promote blood circulation; Eating it often in winter can also enhance the cold resistance of the elderly.
In fact, there is a historical story about the custom of eating dog meat in winter, which also originated in the Han Dynasty.
Both Liu Bang and Fan Kuai are from Pei County. When Fan Kuai sold dog meat to support his family, Liu Bang often went to Fan Kuai's house to drink and eat dog meat. After a long time, Fan Kuai's wife had an opinion and muttered, "This guy Liu Bang often comes to eat dog meat and drinks without giving money. Isn't this a loss? " Fan Kuai didn't care at first, but he couldn't stand his wife's nagging and had to find a way to hide in Hedong to sell it.
When Liu Bang saw that Fan Kuai was still soft-hearted, he ran to Hedong and said to Fan Kuai, "Brother, can you still sell your dog meat if I don't come to dinner?" Fan Kuai nodded, from the beginning of the year to now, didn't sell a piece of dog meat. Liu asked Fan Kuai to cut off the meat and eat it. Suddenly, it smells good, making people around drool. People flocked to the market and snapped it up.
Fan Kuai was stunned. Liu Bang is really a man of god! Since then, the custom of eating dog meat on the solstice has gradually formed among the people. Now people combine health knowledge, not only eat dog meat, but also eat various nourishing foods such as mutton, in order to have a good figure in the coming year.
In all kinds of legends and stories of the solstice winter, it comes down to the ancient people being influenced by nature and ancestor worship, but it also reflects the ancient people's pursuit of a better life. Thousands of years of good cultural genes should be passed down by us.