First Day of Winter

 

 

 

 

There are two customs in China associated with the official onset of winter. The first is that one should eat dumplings (jiaozi). Dumplings somewhat resemble the shape of a human ear, so the old wives' tale connected to this tradition is that if you eat dumplings on the first day of winter, then your ears will be warm throughout the winter as well. Of course, hats, scarves, ear warmers, etc. don't hurt when it comes to keeping your ears warm!

I joined the crowds of people in the market yesterday before lunch as I purchased three bags of frozen dumplings. I could have gone to a restaurant to buy them as well, but the restaurant we like was too far away for me to get there in the short period of time I had. At any rate, quite a few people were buying what I was buying so I felt assured that I was buying the right thing. (That's my key to success . . . are locals buying the item? If so, it's good!)

I went home and boiled them and my kids and husband delightfully dug in. Rachel said, "Wow, I feel just like a real Chinese family!" (I've been cooking more as of late and my family has been enjoying the home-cooked meals.) Later in the evening, I stopped by a restaurant to pick up some noodles and the place was almost completely empty! It doesn't sell dumplings so their normally packed place wasn't doing any business. I asked them if they had eaten any dumplings that day and they said, "No." I then suggested that they do an exchange with another restaurant who sold the dumplings!

Another tradition with Winter Solstice is the burning of "spirit money." The first photo shows a seller out yesterday with his yellow papers (joss paper) and fake money. This is a centuries old tradition that is a combination of Taoism, Buddhism and just plain, old folklore. People buy these items and burn them in memory of their ancestors. Most people do so out of the sense of tradition, but some still believe that if you burn these items, then your loved ones will not only be warm in their afterlife, but will then have the burned items for their enjoyment and needs. As a result, the loved ones will continue to care for you in your present life. Paper clothing is also burned on this day.

If a significant cold snap happens prior to the first day of winter, then "money" is burned at that time. The photos of ashes are from fires burned at the beginning of November when we dropped well below freezing. I saw the students making a few fires, but it wasn't until the next morning that I saw how many had been set that night. They do monitor them until the fires are out, so there is no danger of a fire getting out of control.

The ashes remained for a couple of days and then they were swept up and tossed away. I wonder how many ash piles I will see this morning when I go out?