【今日冬至，歲末寒時】“天時人事日相催，冬至陽生春又來。”古有“冬至大如年”之說，因而冬至亦稱為“亞歲”或“小年”。冬至習俗在不同地域存在差異，北吃餃子，南食湯圓，姑蘇一帶還會喝冬釀酒以驅寒。

北方迎冬，忙包水餃

鮮餡著齒，滿口溢香

（在中國北方地區,家家戶戶都會在冬至這天吃餃子,餃子是餐桌上必不可少的節日食物。有諺語云“冬至到,吃水餃”。據傳，吃水餃的習俗,是紀念“醫聖”張仲景冬至舍藥之舉流傳下來的。每到冬至，人們都仿照張仲景製作“嬌耳”，慢慢演化成現在的餃子。）

Eating dumplings

Eating dumplings is a tradition during Winter Solstice in northern China.

玉潤珠圓，香滑軟糯

歲歲年年，闔家團圓

（我國南方很多地方在冬至這天都會過節慶賀。比較盛行吃冬至團（冬至丸），取其團圓的意思。每逢冬至清晨，各家各戶磨糯米粉，並用糖、肉、菜、果、蘿蔔絲等做餡，包成冬至團，不但自家人吃，也會贈送親友以表祝福之意。實際上，冬至吃湯圓，是我國的傳統習俗，在江南更是普遍，民間也有“吃了湯圓大一歲”的說法。）

Eating Tangyuan

Tangyuan, or stuffed glutinous rice ball, is the seasonal cuisine for people living in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the Winter Solstice.

姑蘇人家，冬至品釀

桂花浸酒，綿甜醇香

（姑蘇地區對冬至這一節氣非常重視，姑蘇地區有俗語云：“冬至大如年”。傳統的姑蘇人家，會在冬至夜喝冬釀酒。冬釀酒是一種米酒，加入桂花釀造，香氣宜人。此外潮汕一帶有“冬節丸，一食就過年”的民諺，俗稱“添歲”。客家人認為，冬至時的水味最醇，所以，客家人冬至釀酒已成為習俗。）

Drinking osmanthus wine

In Suzhou, a historical city in east China’s Jiangsu province, people keep a tradition of drinking osmanthus wine on Winter Solstice to keep warm in the coldest season of the year. The wine with floral flavor is local’s favorite entertainment on the feast of Winter Solstice Eve.

年終歲末，辭舊迎新

置辦新衣，驅邪降吉

（冬至時節，平時再捨不得購買新衣服的人，都會在這一天慷慨解囊，“以舊換新”，以期待迎來福氣和美好的運勢，在北方地區，穿新衣同時還擁有驅邪吉祥的寓意。）

Wearing new clothes

In traditional Chinese culture, Winter Solstice is also regarded as the Minor New Year, signifying the end of the year and starting point of brand new year. As it is also the coldest season, people tend to put on new warm clothes to withstand freezing temperatures and welcome the Minor New Year.

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