First of all, a brief introduction.

Winter solstice, also known as solstice, winter festival, child year, etc. It has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is not only an important solar term among the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional folk ancestor worship festival in China. The solstice in winter is one of the eight festivals in four seasons, and it is considered as a big holiday in winter. In ancient times, there was a saying that the winter solstice was as big as a year.

Second, the winter solstice.

1, etc. Earthworms knot: On the winter solstice, earthworms feel that Yin Qi shrinks and Yang Qi stretches, and when the cathode is cold, correct it as a knot; Second, wait for the elk horn solution: "Elk horn solution" is on the fifth day after the winter solstice. Deer belong to the Yanghe mountain beast, and it is related to relieving the horns in summer. Elk is a shiny animal. It feels sunny, so it can shed its horns on the solstice in winter.

2. Third-class spring movement: On the fifth day, "spring movement", water was born by the sun in Tianyi, and now the sun is born, so the spring has been secretly flowing. Winter solstice is an important solar term for TCM health preservation. In ancient China, the solstice of winter was designated as the second month, that is, the beginning of a year. At twelve o'clock in the day, children's time is also the time when the human body is born.

3. Ancient health care attached great importance to the period when the yang was born, because only when the yang in the human body was sufficient could the purpose of getting rid of illness and prolonging life be achieved.

Third, folk customs.

1, Sacrifice: In many areas, there is a custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors from winter to sun, and some places celebrate festivals from winter to sun. Every family provides genealogy, ancestor statues, memorial tablets, etc. In the upper hall of the home, an altar, incense burners and offerings are placed. In some places, while offering sacrifices to ancestors, they also offer sacrifices to gods, land gods and deities, so as to make the next year's weather favorable and the family prosperous.

2. Eating jiaozi As the saying goes: "On October 1st, the solstice of winter came, and every household ate jiaozi." It can be seen that it is an essential custom to eat jiaozi on the solstice in winter. Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", was a magistrate in Changsha. After resigning from his post and returning to his hometown, he saw that the villagers were sallow and emaciated, hungry and cold, and many people's ears were frozen.

So, he ordered his disciples to set up a stove, put mutton and herbs for dispelling cold in a pot, then take them out and chop them up, make them into ear-shaped "charming ears" with bread, cook them and give them to people who come to ask for medicine. After eating, people are warm all over, their ears are hot, and their frostbitten ears are cured. Later generations learned to look like Joule, wrapped it up and made it into food, so it was called "jiaozi".