Posted on Sunday, December 23rd, 2007 by pelf and filed in Personal Stuff

For the benefit of foreign bloggers, the Dongzhi Festival or Winter Solstice Festival is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest, i.e. on the first day of the Dongzhi solar term.

Tang yuan

Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get-togethers is the making and eating of tangyuan (pictured above) or balls of glutinuous rice, which symbolize reunion. Tangyuan are made of glutinuous rice flour and sometimes brightly coloured. Each family member receives at least one large Tang Yuan in addition to several small ones. The flour balls may be plain or stuffed. They are cooked in a sweet soup or savoury broth with both the ball and the soup/broth served in one bowl.

So how did your Dong Zhi go? :D

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  1. littlebro says:

    Took a few pieces for the sake of the festival. Didn’t wanna miss the celebration as well, heh :P

    littlebro’s latest blog post: h o l i d a y s

  2. Yvy says:

    i love this! used to have grandma make it for me. i know it’s really easy to make but its just not the same if i make myself.

    Yvy’s latest blog post: Christmas 2007

  3. Forrest says:

    I was born on the winter solstice … and I’m living in a place that gets virtually no sunlight. Needless to say, there was quite a celebration over here, too.

    Forrest’s latest blog post: US 101: The Olympic Peninsula