In most parts of our country, it is customary to start the "counting of the nines" from the Winter Solstice, with every nine days marking a small segment, making a total of nine segments of nine days, which is eighty-one days in all. A popular folk song goes: "In the first and second nine, we keep our hands in our sleeves; In the third and fourth nine, we can walk on the ice; In the fifth and sixth nine, we willow trees by the river see; In the seventh nine, the river thaws; In the eighth nine, the swallows come; In the ninth nine, plus another nine, the oxen are everywhere to plow." This vividly and figuratively reflects the changes in the different periods of winter. "Dumplings for the Winter Solstice, noodles for the Summer Solstice." On the day of the Winter Solstice, the most common food custom in our country is eating dumplings. In some southern regions, the custom is to eat wontons and tangyuan.
Lifestyle:
In the study of health preservation, the Winter Solstice is an important solar term, mainly because "at the Winter Solstice, one yang is born." Generally speaking, after middle age, people should strengthen their health care. The first step in health preservation in middle age should be to regulate the spirit. The second step is to control desires and preserve essence. The third step is to strengthen physical exercise. The fourth step is to follow the four seasons and regulate diet. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine health preservation, the Winter Solstice is an excellent time for "winter tonification."
Diet:
According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, tonification can generally be divided into four categories: tonifying qi, tonifying blood, nourishing yin, and tonifying yang. Qi-tonifying foods refer to foods that have the effect of benefiting qi and strengthening the spleen, and have a tonic effect on qi deficiency syndromes, such as rice, glutinous rice, peanuts, Chinese yam, carrots, soy milk, and chicken.
>Blood-tonifying foods refer to foods that have a tonic effect on blood deficiency syndromes, such as animal liver, animal blood products, longan pulp, lychee pulp, mulberry, black fungus, spinach, carrots, pork, sea cucumber, and fish, all of which have a certain blood-tonifying effect. Yang-tonifying foods refer to foods that have the effect of tonifying yang and assisting fire, enhancing sexual function, and have a tonic effect on yang deficiency syndromes, such as dog meat, lamb, shrimp, deer meat, etc. Walnuts, chives, goji berries, pigeon eggs, eel, and mussels also have yang-tonifying effects. Yin-tonifying foods refer to foods that have the effect of nourishing yin fluid, promoting fluid production and moistening dryness, and have a tonic effect on yin deficiency syndromes, such as tremella, black fungus, pears, milk, eggs, grapes, and cabbage.