The Beginning of Winter Lì Dōng – 19th of the 24 Chinese Solar Terms
When is Lì Dōng 立冬
On the lunar calendar, the beginning of winter, the 19th of the 24 Chinese Solar Terms is Lì Dōng 立冬. It falls on the 7th or 8th of November. For northern China, the weather is getting colder and people in the southern regions also feel the change of the weather.
Tradition
What Chinese people eat on the day of Lì Dōng 立冬 varies. In northern cities like Běijīng and Tīanjīn in China, people eat dumplings jiǎo zi 餃子|饺子 on this day. For Taiwan, Ginger Duck Soup – jiāng mǔ yā 薑母鴨 | 姜母鸭 and Sesame Chicken Soup – má yóu jī 麻油雞 | 麻油鸡 are popular choices. The ingredients in the Ginger Duck Soup include duck, ginger, rice wine, and Chinese herbs. As for the Sesame Chicken Soup, its ingredients are chicken, ginger, sesame oil, and rice wine.
Both soup recipes call for ginger. In Chinese culture, ginger jiāng 薑｜姜 is a food ingredient that belongs to the warm food category. In the winter, some Chinese families make ginger soup 薑湯|姜汤 and have it to keep your warm.
Chinese people believe that supplementing one’s health with nutritious food is better than taking medical supplements. Chinese herbs are often used in Chinese stew and cooking and many of these herbs are included in western vitamin supplements. Is that interesting?
Drink
In addition to the food, another practice is to drink warm water. If you pay attention you will notice that many Chinese people prefer to have warm drinks instead of iced or cold drinks. This practice is not just for the cold weather but for all seasons. That is why you rarely see Chinese grandparents have cold food for breakfast, such as cereals with cold milk. If you visit China or Taiwan, you will see vendors selling hot food items, such as steamed buns, green onion pancakes, pan-fried buns, warm soybean milk… on the street or in the breakfast eateries.
Routine
This might sound kind of funny but going to bed early and getting up late should be a practice in the winter days according to Chinese medicine doctors. That means it is important to have plenty of sleep to maintain good health. Since this is the day in the U.S. that Daylight Savings Time ends and we all gain one extra hour of sleep I think it is a good start. Stay warm and be healthy!
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Winter Solstice
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