also: とうじカボチャ
noun
custom of keeping a pumpkin or squash during winter and eating it on the winter solstice
A traditional Japanese custom where a pumpkin or squash is stored through winter and eaten on the winter solstice (冬至) for good health.
冬至南瓜を食べると風邪をひかないと言われています。
It is said that eating a winter solstice pumpkin will keep you from catching a cold.
祖母は毎年冬至南瓜を用意してくれます。
My grandmother prepares a winter solstice pumpkin for us every year.
Compound of 冬至 (winter solstice) and 南瓜 (pumpkin). The custom likely originates from the belief that eating nutritious pumpkin on the solstice brings health and wards off illness during the cold season.