Did you know that this year December 21st sports an important Chinese holiday?
December 21st is this year’s Winter Solstice — this year’s shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year, when one hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun. Dongzhi Festival, Dongzhi, or Dong Zhi in Chinese, is a time-honored tradition celebrating the Winter Solstice. In the past, the Chinese Winter Solstice Festival was revered to be as important as Chinese New Year.
A lot of past and historical celebrations and activities are still held today: eating dumplings, wontons and/or glutinous rice balls (depending on the region) is among the most common. All of these dishes symbolize and help celebrate the Chinese ideal of togetherness.
In addition to eating traditional foods, many Chinese families congregate and/or devote the day to celebrating and worshipping their ancestors. There is a saying that when a person eats Tang Yuán [湯圓] on Dong Zhì, he or she become one year older. Consider celebrating the Dongzhi Festival or giving rice balls a shot (they’re delicious).
