1. Get rich and ship
Dumplings look a bit like gold coins. Eating dumplings means making money and making money. In addition, the Chinese characters for dumplings are golden tickets. In the Song Dynasty, golden tickets were the familiar silver coins, which also represented wealth. Therefore, eating dumplings in folk culture is often a metaphor and symbol of getting rich and prosperous. It is a very auspicious food. Dumplings must be eaten in the north and south during the Spring Festival.
2. Family reunion and happiness
In ancient times, dumplings also had the metaphorical meaning and symbol of family reunion and happiness, because every time during the Reunion Festival, people had to eat dumplings, which represented With the family together. In addition, making dumplings as a family together is also an important manifestation of family reunion, happiness and family harmony. Therefore, eating dumplings during the Spring Festival, eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice, and eating dumplings during the Lantern Festival are all very auspicious things.
3. Peace and happiness
Eating dumplings often also has the meaning of praying. In the past, it was difficult for people to eat delicious snacks, only during the Spring Festival of the year. The dumplings you eat are considered delicious, so every time you eat dumplings, people will give them a unique meaning, which means praying for peace and contentment, and looking forward to a smooth harvest, prosperity, and safety in the next year. Everything goes smoothly and everything goes well, and dumplings also have the metaphorical meaning and representation of peace and happiness.
The origin of dumplings
Dumplings were invented by Zhang Zhongjing, a medical sage from Nanyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Its historical evolution has gone through a long process. Zhang Zilie gave a good explanation in the late Ming Dynasty: " Shui Jiao Er is a Duan Cheng-style food, Tang Zhong Lao Wan, or Fan Jiao. Northerners pronounce Jiao Jiao, and call it Dumpling Bait, so they call it Jiao Er. ”
People often make dumplings. Wrap Jin Ruyi, sugar, peanuts, dates, chestnuts, etc. into the filling. Those who eat as they wish and eat sweets will have sweeter days in the coming year; those who eat peanuts will be healthy and live longer; those who eat dates and chestnuts will have children early. In some areas, when eating dumplings, people also eat some non-staple food to show good luck.
For example, eating tofu symbolizes the happiness of the whole family; eating persimmons symbolizes everything goes well; eating three fresh vegetables symbolizes the prosperity of the three Yangs. In some places in the south, during the Chinese New Year, eggs are beaten, heated, wrapped in a wrapper with meat filling, and called egg dumplings. Dumplings have a very long history. During their long development process, they have had many names. In ancient times, they had names such as "Lao Wan", "Bian Shi", "Dumpling Bait" and "Fan Jiao". During the Three Kingdoms period, it was called "Crescent Wonton", during the Southern and Northern Dynasties it was called "Wonton", in the Tang Dynasty it was called "Crescent Wonton", in the Song Dynasty it was called "Jiaozi", in the Yuan Dynasty it was called "Bianshi", and in the Qing Dynasty it was called "dumplings".