After entering the ninth year, scholars and scholars flocked to engage in so-called activities to cool down and keep out the cold. They chose a "ninth day" day, invited nine people to drink ("wine" and "nine" homophonic), and used nine dishes and nine bowls on the table. After the table, people use the "Nine Flowers" to sit on the table, which means the ninth year of cooling.

It is also popular among the people to fill in 99-99 pictures to cool off the cold. The 99-year-old cold picture is generally a double-hook calligraphy with red strokes, with nine Chinese characters on it, each with nine strokes and eighty-one strokes. From the solstice of winter, fill in one stroke every day and one word every September, and a 99-year-old cold relief map will not be completed until it returns to the earth in the spring of 99.

Healthy recipes for winter solstice

The solstice in winter is a good time for health preservation, mainly because "Qi starts from the solstice in winter". Because from beginning of winter, life activities began to turn from prosperity to decline, from dynamic to static. At this time, scientific health preservation helps to ensure vigorous energy and prevent premature aging, thus achieving the purpose of prolonging life. During the winter solstice, the diet should be diversified, with grains, fruits, meat and vegetables reasonably matched, and high-calcium foods appropriately selected.

wonton

There used to be a saying in old Beijing that "winter solstice wonton, summer solstice noodles". According to legend, during the 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". I hate eating, and I want to quell the war and live a peaceful life. Because wonton was originally made on the winter solstice, every household eats wonton on the winter solstice.

Chinese dumpling

Every year, during the winter solstice of the Lunar New Year, jiaozi is an indispensable holiday feast for both the rich and the poor. Bao jiaozi said: "On October 1st, when the solstice of winter comes, every family eats jiaozi." This custom was left in memory of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", who gave up medicine from the winter solstice. 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. When he got home, it was already winter. 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 set up a medicine shed and pot in Dongguan, Nanyang, and give up their "charming ears" to treat frostbite from winter to day. He boiled mutton and some herbs for dispelling cold in a pot, then took out the mutton and chopped the medicine, and made ear-shaped "dumplings" with bread. After cooking, he gave two dumplings and a big bowl of broth to everyone who came to ask for medicine. People ate "Joule" and drank "Quhan Decoction", and they were all hot, their ears were hot, and their frostbitten ears were cured. Later generations learned the appearance of Joule and packaged it into food, also called "jiaozi" or "flat food". This kind of flat food is different.

Red beans and rice

In Jiangnan water town, there is a custom that the whole family get together to eat red beans and glutinous rice in the evening from winter to Sunday. According to legend, * * * Gong was a troubled wit who died in the winter. Become a plague ghost after death and continue to harm the people. However, this epidemic ghost is most afraid of red beans, so people cook red bean rice from winter solstice to drive away the epidemic ghost and prevent diseases.

Hygienic habits in winter solstice

moxibustion

Winter solstice is the most important solar term in health care. The solstice in winter is the natural transformation of yin and yang. Moxibustion at Shenque point is the best time to stimulate the rise of human yang.

In the four days around the winter solstice, plus nine days from the winter solstice, you can use moxa sticks to moxibustion Shenque point for health preservation. After burning the moxa stick, take the navel as the center and smoke around it. Be careful not to burn your skin, as long as you feel warm. Once a day, each time 15-20 minutes.