Too many things on my mind now to write anything on this so I'm gonna just reproduce from Wikipedia...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, searchThe Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: 冬至; Pinyin: dōng zhì; "The Extreme of Winter") is one of the most important Jiéqìs celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. It is the time when farmers and fishermen collect supplies and food in preparation for the coming winter.
The meaning behind this festival can be traced back to the Yin and Yang philosophy of balance and harmony. After this celebration there would be days with longer daylight hours and this symbolized positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I Ching hexagram fù (復, "Returning").
In modern times, it is a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers is the making and eating of Tong Yuen (湯圓, as pronounced in Cantonese; Mandarin Pinyin: Tāng Yuán) or balls of glutinuous rice, which symbolize reunion. Tong Yuen are made of glutinuous rice flour and sometimes brightly coloured. Every one in the family receives at least one large Tong Yuen and 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.
We are going back to my parents' home to celebrate with my boiboi and the rest of the family members. I can smell the soup, steamed chicken, mushrooms, fish, char yoke (deep fried meat braised with black fungus Hakka style) etc etc... and of course tong yuen and I saw crushed peanuts already wooohooooo tong yuen mua chi style!!!! Let's see if I can take any pics or not.
Happy Dong Zhi!!!
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