立冬：冬之伊始，万物收藏
The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Winter, (Chinese:立冬), the 19th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov. 8 and ends on Nov. 21. Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter, which means winter is coming. Here is something you should know about Start of Winter.
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In ancient times, the Chinese people took the Start of Winter to be the beginning of the winter. However, in fact, the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology (气象学). The general weather conditions every year are different, so the beginning of winter could be quite different.
Eating dumplings
It is said that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD25-220), “Medical Saint” Zhang Zhongjing saved many people in Henan province from coldness around Start of Winter. He cooked mutton, hot peppers and herbs (药草) to dispel the cold and increase body heat. He put these things into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape. Since then, people have learned to make the food which became known as “dumplings”. Today there is still a saying that goes “Eat dumplings on Start of Winter Day, or your ears will be frostbitten (生冻疮的)”.
Eating Chinese pumpkins (南瓜)
In Tianjin, on the first day of Start of Winter, people eat dumplings stuffed with Chinese pumpkins (wogua). It is a common vegetable in North China. Generally, the pumpkins are bought in summer and stored until the Start of Winter when they are taken out.
Do you know well about Start of Winter?