My Longkang

Pics borrowed with kind permission from Tony Hii

“Dong Zhi” literally means “arrival of winter”. It coincides with the winter solstice. This system is based on the sun’s tilt. The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and it is the longest night of the year. Dong Zhi is the day when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. The coming of winter is celebrated by families and is traditionally the time when farmers and fishermen gather food in preparation for the coming cold season.

It is also a time for new clothes and family reunions. Tang Yuan (sweet soup of glutinuous rice flour balls ) is cooked and eaten to symbolise unity and harmony within the family. “Yuan” (literally meaning “round”) signifies “yuan man” and Tang Yuan means “tuan yuan” (family reunion ). Eating Tang Yuan is symbolic of family unity and family prosperity. For good luck, families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones.

This celebration can be traced to the Chinese belief in yin and yang, which represent balance and harmony in life. It is believed that the yin qualities of darkness and cold are at their most powerful at this time, but it is also the turning point, giving way to the light and warmth of yang. For this reason, the Dong Zhi Festival is a time for optimism.

Worldwide, interpretation of the winter solstice varies from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice; examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Pongal, Yalda and many other festivals of light.

For recipe of how to cook “tang yuan”, please refer here