The tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasties, continuing until today. "Qingjia Lu" even mentions that "the Winter Solstice is as important as the New Year." This indicates that the ancients attached great importance to the Winter Solstice. People believed that the Winter Solstice was a natural transformation of yin and yang, a blessing bestowed by heaven. During the Han Dynasty, the Winter Solstice was called "Winter Festival," and the government held a ceremony known as "Gehong" (Celebrating Winter), with official holidays granted. The "Book of the Later Han" recorded: "In the days before and after the Winter Solstice, gentlemen should remain calm and still, officials should cease all affairs, not listen to state matters, and resume their duties on a suitable day." Therefore, on this day, the court and officials took a holiday, the military stood by, border garrisons closed their gates, merchants ceased business, and relatives exchanged delicacies and visited each other, enjoying a festival of "calm and stillness."

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day for worshipping heaven and ancestral rites. Emperors held grand ceremonies for worshipping heaven on the outskirts of the city, while common people paid homage to their parents and elders. Even now, some places still celebrate the festival on the Winter Solstice.

The First Legend of the Winter Solstice

In old Beijing, there was a saying: "Eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice, and noodles on the Summer Solstice." According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the northern Xiongnu frequently harassed the frontier, causing unrest among the people. At that time, there were two chieftains, Hun and Tun, who were very cruel. The people hated them deeply and made dumplings filled with meat, taking the sound of "Hun" and "Tun" to call them "dumplings." They ate them in anger, hoping to end the wars and live peacefully. Since dumplings were first made on the Winter Solstice, people have been eating dumplings on this day ever since.

Eating "pinching frozen ears" is a popular term for eating dumplings on the Winter Solstice in Henan. Why did this custom arise? According to legend, when Zhang Zhongjing, the medical sage of Nanyang, was serving as an official in Changsha, he returned home during a heavy snowfall in winter, with biting winds. He saw the people along the Baihe River in Nanyang suffering from cold, many of whom had frostbitten ears. He felt very sorry and ordered his disciples to set up a medical tent in the east of Nanyang. They boiled mutton, peppers, and some warming herbs, then chopped them up and wrapped them in flour skin in the shape of ears. These were cooked in the pot and made into a medicine called "Warming and Ear-Healing Soup" which was given to the people. After eating it, the people's ears were all healed. Later, every year on the Winter Solstice, people imitated making and eating these dumplings, thus forming the custom of "pinching frozen ears." Later, they came to be called "dumplings," or sometimes "flat food" and "steamed dumplings." People also spread the belief that eating dumplings on the Winter Solstice would prevent frostbite.

The Second Legend of the Winter Solstice

The custom of eating dog meat on the Winter Solstice is said to have begun in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, when Han Gaozu Liu Bang celebrated the Winter Solstice, he ate dog meat prepared by Fan Kuai and found it particularly delicious, praising it endlessly. From then on, this custom of eating dog meat on the Winter Solstice formed among the people. Today, people eat dog meat, mutton, and various nourishing foods on the Winter Solstice to seek a good omen for the coming year.

The Third Legend of the Winter Solstice

In the water towns of southern China, there is a custom of gathering together on the night of the Winter Solstice to eat red bean glutinous rice. According to legend, there was a person named Gonggong, whose son was ungrateful and committed numerous evils, dying on the day of the Winter Solstice. After death, he turned into an epidemic demon, continuing to harm the people. However, this demon was most afraid of red beans. Thus, people cooked and ate red bean rice on the Winter Solstice to ward off the demon and protect themselves from disasters and diseases.