Today is the 19th solar term of Chinese lunar calendar: the start of winter. Following Frost’s Descent, The Start of Winter continues to see the decrease of temperature.
Huge changes are happening in nature: trees begin to wither and colorful leaves put on glamorous shows, crops have been harvested and animals are ready for hibernation.
One popular tradition in this solar term is to eat dumplings. The legend goes that at the end of the eastern Han dynasty, people in Henan province suffered from severe cold weather and their ears got serious frostbite.
medical saint Zhang Zhongjing saved them from this typhoid epidemic by serving them ear-shaped dumplings with fillings made of mutton, hot peppers and herbs. These ingredients were believed to dispel the cold and increase body heat.
Since then, people have learnt to make ear-shaped dumplings. There is a saying that “eat dumplings on start of winter, or your ears will be frost bitten.”
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