Falling leaves and cold winds show the arrival of another season. In China, November 7 is lidong. It is a Chinese word for one of the 24 solar terms (就节气). It means the beginning of winter.

To welcome lidong, people have many colorful customs that light up the cold days. One of the most popular customs is to have a big meal. Winter is believed to be a season for keeping food fresh. Eating well helps people save enough energy to beat the cold in winter, and prepare for the growth in the coming spring. In the north, people prefer eating dumplings. The Chinese word for dumpling,"jiao" (饺),has a similar pronunciation as the word "change", "jiao" (交). Eating dumplings means celebrating the change of autumn to winter. While in the south, eating chicken, duck and fish is common.

From history, lidong was also a time for people to keep vegetables. There were not many fresh vegetables to eat during winter. So, around lidong, some people in the north began to keep vegetables like cabbages and green onions in a cellar underground. When it was time for cooking, fathers went down with a basket tied to one end of a rope (绳子). Children were happy to wait beside the cellar holding the other end of the rope. When fathers filled the basket with vegetables, children helped to pull it out.

However, nowadays, some of the customs have disappeared. Most people buy fresh vegetables in the supermarket. Instead, new winter customs are born in certain places. In Harbin, experienced swimmers choose to swim in the winter waters during lidong. How cold it must be!

1.How many solar terms are there in a year?

2.What does Lidong mean?

3.According to the passage, what's the meaning of eating dumplings?

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