The Winter Solstice Festival (冬至)

What and when is it?

The Winter Solstice, or Dongzhi (冬至) Festival is a Chinese celebration of the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. Every year, this festival falls on either December 21 or 22, and it is a time of positivity and hope for the spring season. 

How is it celebrated?

During the Winter Solstice Festival, it is common to worship heaven for a good harvest and health in the coming year and worship ancestors with incense burners and food offerings. Chinese people often count the Nines of Winter, which is a folk song describing the changes in nature before the start of spring and farming. The Winter Solstice Festival is known as a time for families to gather together, prepare food for the upcoming winter, and enjoy a feast.

What is traditionally eaten?

In Chinese culture, there is a concept of yin and yang, which is a symbol of harmony and balance. During the winter solstice, there is an imbalance of yin and yang, with strong yin (cold) energy and weak yang (warm) energy. For this reason, yang foods are normally eaten during the festival. In Northern China, dumplings (jiǎozi 饺子) are a traditional dish, as they bring warmth to the bitter cold. Tangyuan (tāngyuán 汤圆), which are glutinous rice balls filled with red bean or meat and served in sweet broth, are popular in the south. This is because tangyuan symbolizes family unity, prosperity, and warmth. Other popular food items include wonton soup, mutton soup, rice cakes, red bean glutinous rice, and eight-treasure porridge, all of which give off warm yang energy.

Sources:

https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/winter-solstice.htm

https://mandarinmatrix.org/winter-solstice-festival-dongzhi/