Winter Solstice 2024

Celebrating Dongzhi (the Winter Solstice) is a Chinese tradition that goes back to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The Winter Solstice falls on 21 or 22 December, this year on Saturday 21 December. We went to Parit Baru, Aric’s hometown, to celebrate.

Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is a time for families to meet and eat together. One activity that occurs during these get-togethers is the making and eating of tangyuan, balls of glutinous rice, that symbolize reunion. When we arrived in Parit Baru, a large number of these rice balls had already been prepared in various colors.

We went out for dinner to a local seafood restaurant.

Prayers for the ancestors are part of the celebration. An offering table is prepared with all kinds of food and drinks. Parents, grandparents, the table was set for nine ancestors.

Hell Money (joss paper) has to be folded into a roll, so it will burn easier.

Praying for the ancestors.

Here Aric and his brother are making the pyre.

And lighting it.

Aric makes sure that everything burns.

The rice balls are served warm in syrup. The bigger ones are filled.

Before going back home we had our tangyuan.

One thought on “Winter Solstice 2024

  1. Aric knows if the hell monies is not completely burn then they have to go to bank negara to explain and change or else cannot be used in heaven.

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