Winter Solstice Dumpling Making Activity

When the winter solstice comes, the Chinese tradition is to make dumplings. Eating dumplings will prevent our ears from freezing off in the winter.

In China, the winter solstice comes quietly like an ancient and grand ceremony. When this day comes, the world seems to be wrapped tighter by the cold, and dumplings become the protagonist on the stage of the winter solstice.

"During the winter solstice, eat dumplings." The origin of this custom is like a melodious ancient song, sung in the long river of time. It is said that dumplings have an indissoluble bond with the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, epidemics were rampant, and countless people suffered in the cold winter and their ears were frostbitten. Zhang Zhongjing was compassionate and wrapped medicinal materials and mutton in dough, kneaded them into ear-shaped Jiao'er, cooked them in a pot and distributed them to everyone. People ate Jiao'er, warmed up their bodies, and their frostbitten ears gradually healed. From then on, the custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice was passed down from generation to generation. The dumplings not only contained ingredients to drive away the cold, but also the great love of doctors for the common people and people's wishes for health.

Dumplings, like the warm sun in winter, drive away the cold. The family sat together, kneading dough, mixing stuffing, and making dumplings, with laughter echoing in the house. The children curiously imitated the adults, and their little hands clumsily pinched the dumpling skins. Although the shapes were different, they were full of childishness. When the steaming dumplings were served on the table, the steaming mist instantly blurred the vision, just like the warmth and beauty in this ordinary life, misty and hazy. Pick up a dumpling and put it in your mouth. Take a bite, the delicious soup overflows, and the rich taste spreads on the tip of the tongue, instantly warming the whole body.

At this moment, the cold is locked outside the window, and there is only the warmth of home and the company of relatives in the house.