At the beginning of winter, the cold arrives. Three major customs are used to welcome the winter hibernation

There has always been a saying in my country about the Four Beginnings, namely: the Beginning of Spring, the Beginning of Summer, the Beginning of Autumn and the Beginning of Winter. Volume 2 of Zhoubi Suanjing states: "The four beginnings are the beginning of growth and storage." Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Cai Yong states: "One thing: In the Mingtang month order, the emperor welcomes the Five Emperors to the suburbs at the four beginnings and the end of summer, so as to bring in the spirit and pray for a good harvest. At the beginning of winter, the sun has reached 225° of the ecliptic longitude, and the amount of solar radiation received by the northern hemisphere is getting less and less. Since there is still a certain amount of heat stored in the earth's surface during the summer half year, it is generally not too cold. As the beginning of winter, there are three main customs for the people to celebrate this festival.

Eating dumplings at the beginning of winter

The Beginning of Winter solar term means harvest in autumn and store in winter. my country used to be an agricultural society. People who had worked for a year would take a break on the Beginning of Winter and reward their family for their hard work throughout the year. There is a saying that goes "Eat nourishment at the beginning of winter and fill your empty stomach" which is the best metaphor.

In southern my country, people like to eat chicken, duck, fish and meat on the day of Beginning of Winter. In Taiwan, on the day of Beginning of Winter, the street restaurants selling winter tonic foods such as mutton hotpot and ginger duck are packed with guests. Many families also stew sesame oil chicken and four-ingredient chicken to replenish energy.

People in northern my country, especially in Beijing and Tianjin, love to eat dumplings. Why do we eat dumplings on the Beginning of Winter? Because dumplings come from the saying "the time of exchange of money". New Year’s Eve marks the transition between the old year and the new year, and the Beginning of Winter marks the transition between autumn and winter, so dumplings must be eaten at the time of “transition”. Nowadays people have gradually restored this ancient custom, and on the day of the Beginning of Winter, all kinds of dumplings are selling very well.

Winter nourishment to resist severe cold

While people are still enjoying the warm sunshine in autumn, time has quickly come to November and the beginning of winter has arrived. Beginning of Winter, the first solar term of winter, occurs around November 8 every year. With the arrival of Beginning of Winter, the grass and trees wither, the insects hibernate, and all activities of all things tend to come to a halt. They hibernate to conserve energy and prepare for the vitality of the coming spring. Although humans do not hibernate, there is a folk custom of replenishing oneself in winter. This is the best time for people to take supplementary food and replenish their energy to resist the severe cold of winter. On this day, people from both the north and the south eat wild game in different ways to help them resist the cold winter.

In winter, people should eat less raw and cold food. Most people can eat some high-calorie foods appropriately, especially in the north, they can eat some beef and mutton, but at the same time, they should also be careful not to over-supplement. They should eat more fresh vegetables and foods rich in vitamins and easy to digest. In short, during the winter solstice, there is a custom among the people to replenish the body, and in real life, we should pay attention to the ways and methods of taking care of our body on the Beginning of Winter.

Welcome the new season with winter swimming

Winter swimming refers to swimming in outdoor waters (including natural waters such as rivers, lakes, seas and artificial waters such as reservoirs) under natural water temperature in winter. That is, winter swimming is defined as the beginning of winter and the beginning of spring with a temperature below 10℃; based on water temperature, the country's winter swimming can be divided into four levels: 17℃ is the starting point for winter swimming; 8℃ is the coldness mark for winter swimming. Water temperatures below 17°C give people a cold feeling, while water temperatures below 8°C give people a feeling of cold, numbness, and severe cold stimulation.

Interestingly, there are now innovative ways to celebrate the Beginning of Winter. In Harbin, on the Beginning of Winter, athletes from the Heilongjiang Province Winter Swimming Association cross the Songhua River to welcome the arrival of winter in this way.