Three hundred years ago, a Qing Dynasty poet wrote a poem describing how people racked their brains out to buy the most appropriate pre- sents only to get them back from other friends a few days later. During the Western Jin Dynasty about 1,700 years ago,shoes and socks were very popular presents among both royalty and the common folk . Court officials would present the emperor with elaborately-made shoes and socks, wishing the divingSon of the Dragonwansui or ten thousand birthdays. Similarly, all married women were wupposed to make a set of embroidered shoes and socks and present them to their in-laws. We are not sure why this custom evolved, perhaps it had something to do with the importance of keeping one's feet warm in winter.
Food is an important part of all Chinese festivals.
But the kinds of food people eat during the Winter Solstice vary from place to place. In Nothern China, many people eat mutton and dog meat. These are hot Yang foods, bringing warmth to the body and dispelling the cold of Yin. Noodles are popular in many areas. For from now on,daytime starts to get longer and we say every day gets longer by the length of a thread.