It's Dong Zhi today, or in English, it's known as Winter Solstice Festival. It's supposedly a major Chinese celebration and second in importance only to Chinese New Year. On this day, it is said that we have the shortest daylight but living in Malaysia, since we do not have winter, the significance is lost in most of us, including myself.

My family does not celebrate it in a big way. However, we do have a bowl of tang yuan (湯圓) each which my mother bought from the market. It symbolises reunion because these balls are so sticky. They are actually glutinuous rice balls. Halal, I guess. Hehe!

When I was younger, I remember that my sister and I tried making tang yuan once and we made them large and colourful. The commercial ones my mother has been buying from the market for the past few years are all super small. Anyway, the ones we always have are all just plain balls. Also, we never drink the sweet syrup.

Actually, one could always make tang yuan; don't have to wait for Dong Zhi. Too bad I can't find the time or I would love to make my own. Anyway, these days, whatever festival is like any other day to me. Even Chinese New Year. SIGHHHH