Chinese 'Winter Solstice'

Today it is the Chinese minor festival 'Winter Solstice',
which means the coming of cold winter.
From the day after, it will get colder and colder.
and the cold will last for a month or so.
and from the day after,
the daytime will get more and more longer.
according to the tradition,
on this day we will eat dumplings(Jiaozi) at noon.
This noon DW and I (DS at school) had a good meal of Jiaozi
with lamb meat in them.
It is said the meal will help keep us
from freezing off our ears.




This message was edited Sunday, Dec 22nd 8:22 AM

I celebrate this day too Jianhua...it means that from this day on...the sun will start back North.I have a window that I look out of every evening during this month and know exactly where the point is that the sun sets on this date.Tomorrow,the day will be just a little longer and a little closer to Spring.

We,here in the South of the US celebrate our New Year's with special food.On Jan.1,you are supposed to eat boiled cabbage and black eyed peas.Custom has it,if you do this,you will be prosperous and healthy in the coming year.The grocery stores are piled high with cabbages and peas.Every shopper that you see will have purchased some for their New Year's dinner.
It dosen't hurt that people are pretty tired of rich holiday food and are wanting something a little more common by then too.

In my family, we add cornbread for stability. Or maybe it's just because we like cornbread with all that cabbage and peas. Being from Louisiana, I have to sprinkle it all with some pepper sauce.

The Chinese 'Winter Solstice',
as I have said above,
is just a minor folk festival.
After a meal of delicious Jiaozi,
that means we have celebrated the festival.

Yesterday, was the winter solstice in Finland, so it was the shortest day of the year. Here we had only 5 hours 49 minutes of sunny time, and in Northern Finland, above the polar circle, sun didn't even rise.

We're getting a nice Christmas weather, right now it is -9 C outside, calm, and sunny.

Please click the blue type 'winter solstice'
to see the defination by Master Dave and Go-vols'.

All around us in Northeast Ohio we have a tradition of sauerkraut and pork, which is supposed to bring prosperity in the new year. Someone mentioned that sauerkraut was eaten to assure sweetness in the coming year.

I didn't know about the black-eyed peas but it sounds great to me, perhaps that is the covered dish I will take to our church's traditional New Year's Day party at the pastor's house (too fun!)...

Here is a great link to new year festivals all over the world.

http://mn.essortment.com/newyearsevetr_rllr.htm