Known in Chinese as the Dong Zhi Festival,
Winter Solstice is the second most important festival
of the Chinese calendar
Celebrated on 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 family reunions
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 and promise of life renewed
After dinner, we savour the tang yuan (glutinous rice balls)
that we made ourselves
These home-made coloured glutinous rice balls
are made from mixing rice flour with red bean paste
and black sesame fillings
A sweet syrup is then cooked by boiling water, pandan leaves, sugar and ginger
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