Mum and I made 汤圆 (tang yuan) today... in the middle of the night too, since we could not sleep *laughs* She didn't even realise it was 冬至 (Dong Zhi) until she spotted people buying the pink and white flour at the market. Not that I would have known either!
冬至 (Dong Zhi) in Mandarin means "arrival (至) of winter (冬)", and is considered to be the Chinese equivalent to Thanksgiving . It's a time for the entire family to get together to celebrate the past good year (though it doesn't happen in my family... as you can see, it's just mum and I and our pink balls) *grins* oh yes, and with Chinkie ogling at them.
These glutinous rice balls (汤圆) are cooked in sweet syrup and eaten to signify unity and harmony within the family. Sometimes they're filled with peanut paste but in our case, they're just plain (and boring).
I have no idea when this tradition started and I'm too lazy at the moment to look it up on the net. Anyone with info may drop me a comment.
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