Winter Solstice
December 22nd is the day this year for the celebration of 'Dong Zhi' Festival, to mark the day of the Winter Solstice. It the twenty-second of the twenty-four Solar Terms in the Chinese Calendar, and is an important event in the Chinese year.
The Chinese year contains three 'Yuen' festivals. The first, 'Shang Yuan', is celebrated on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, in honour of man (it is also known as Chinese Valentine's Day). The second, 'Zhong Yuan', is celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, in honour of the spirits of the dead (it is also known as the Hungry Ghosts Festival). Winter Solstice marks the day of the third, 'Xia Yuan', celebrated in honour of the ancestors of the family.
Actually, there are two festivals in the year celebrated in honour of the ancestors, the other is 'Qing Ming' the 5th Solar Term in the Calendar. The difference in these two is that the scope of 'Qing Ming' is smaller, where the recently dead (about five generations) are honoured. 'Dong Zhi', on the other hand, is believed to be the day when even the oldest ancestors in the clan returns and reunite with the family.
'Tang Yuan' are cooked and eaten during the celebrations. These are actually glutinous rice balls cooked in brown sugar solutions. They symbolises reunion, harmony, and happiness. According to an old custom, one is suppose to consume these rice balls in equal amount as one's age next year. This is to celebrate the fact that the year is coming to an end, and one had survived it safe and sound with the Ancestors blessings.