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.
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? 
Source:
- Dongzhi Festival @ Wikipedia
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Some miscalculation and I end up having additional 2 meals full of rice balls, which is a total of 4 meals full of rice balls counting from the 1st meal. Looks like I’m going to be hospitalised due to indigestion… =p
I use pandan leaves + brown sugar + ginger for the soup. What’s your raw material for that?
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Happy Dongzhi to you !!!
I had a grand total of 7 GRB (GRB = Glutinous Rice Balls), since I’m not a great fan of the plain GRBs. I prefer the ones stuffed with black sesame filling, but mum doesn’t make those.
How did you spend your Dongzhi ?
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My DongZi was superb this year! Mum’s too free sitting at home (she’s retiring soon) and made “tang yuan” with peanuts inside - YUMMY~
Pelf, thanks for the card - it’s so nice of you!
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Merry X’mas.
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I am going to be very honest with you and say that I didn’t make them. So I don’t know what the raw ingredients are, LOL.
I am not a big fan of GRB too, and I had only 5 this year, hahah.. I had 3 plain white ones and 2 stuffed ones (with peanut fillings).
i made tang yuan all by myself!! *pecah rekod*
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Wuakkaa… Your Dong Zhi and mine were the same. Ha! Ha!
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I have only 8 pieces, as shown in my photo ^-^
Eat it only for its ’significance’
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Took a few pieces for the sake of the festival. Didn’t wanna miss the celebration as well, heh
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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.
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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.
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