It is said that when Zhang Zhongjing was an official in Changsha, it was very cold in winter, and many people's ears were frozen, so they went to the door for medical treatment. Zhang Zhongjing cooked mutton, peppers and some medicines for dispelling cold in a pot, chopped them, wrapped them in flour bags to make them look like ears, and cooked them. Zhang Zhongjing named them Jiaoer. After eating pepper and soup, people feel warm all over and their ears are hot. Nobody frostbites their ears anymore.
When you eat jiaozi on the solstice in winter, you will never forget the kindness of Zhang Zhongjing, a "medical sage", in "Quhan Joule Decoction". Up to now, there is a folk song "jiaozi bowls run amok on the solstice in winter, and nobody cares about frozen ears".
About the customs of jiaozi.
1, winter solstice
In northern China, there is a custom of slaughtering sheep and eating jiaozi and wonton on the winter solstice, while in the south, there is a custom of eating glutinous rice balls and long noodles on the winter solstice. There is also the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors in winter solstice in various regions. ?
2. New Year's Eve
On New Year's Eve, when people eat jiaozi, they will feel full of energy. Then, men, women and children will set off firecrackers in unison to help the gods drive away the spectre, and then put up a new portrait of the kitchen god devoutly, offering jiaozi-based food in front of the portraits of the God of Wealth and the kitchen god to express the meaning of peace and good luck in the coming year. This is the origin of the custom of "firecrackers to say goodbye to the old year".