Today is Winter Solstice Eve, also known as Midwinter Eve! First let me tell you in short, it’s a big day for Suzhou natives!
Winter Solstice, one of the 24 solar terms in the lunar Calendar and usually falls in the fourth week(around the 22nd) of December in the Gregorian Calendar. It is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight.
The custom of celebrating Winter Solstice Day by Suzhou natives dates back more than 2000 years ago，when the Kingdom of Wu adopted the Calendar of the Zhou Dynasty from which Winter Solstice is recognized as the first day of new year. So there is an old local saying in Suzhou that “Natives celebrate Winter Solstice Day as big as New Year’s!”.
Just as in Christmas, the most important moment is the eve of the festival—Winter Solstice Eve. A sumptuous dinner is usually well prepared to have a wonderful family reunion on the eve . Among all the elements of the fancy meal is Dong Niang Wine (冬酿酒), literally translated as Wine Brewed in Winter. It’s a rice brewed wine prepared about two months before the Midwinter Day made up with glutinous rice, sweet osmanthus and water is a must.
In Suzhou, Dong Niang Wine is a special seasonal wine, tastes light and naturally sweet only made for the Winter Solstice. As the holiday approa ches , you can find the wine easily in many markets, from big supermarkets to little grocery stores. Besides, some Suzhou time-honored brand shops supply Dong Niang Wine brewed on their own every year as a tradition, such as Yuan Da Chang. Most older natives prefer to wait in line for the wine brewed by these old shops, maybe because the wine has accompanied them since their childhood!
Just as everybody know “When you in Rome, do as the Romans do”, I’d like to say when you in Suzhou, especially if you spend the Winter Solstice Day here, drink the Dong Niang Wine as the Suzhounese do! Cheers!
Suzhou
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