The turning of the year(2)

Residents of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, buy marinated food and make osmanthus-flavored wine to celebrate the festival. WANG JIANZHONG/CHINA DAILY/WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

However, the way in which the festival is observed differs widely across China, and even within the same province. For example, Liu's hometown is in the part of Jiangsu that lies north of the Yangzte River, and is usually deemed to be in North China, while the area south of the river is seen as part of South China and has different dialects, traditions, and eating habits.

Ping Yingchun, from Nantong in South Jiangsu, said the local people eat large, homemade glutinous rice balls to celebrate the solstice. "The balls, stuffed with peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, and pig's lard, are usually as big as an adult's fist. Even if you only eat two, you will be full and satisfied," the 27-year-old office worker said. "They're so delicious. I like them very much."

He said the people in his hometown still treat the solstice as an important day that's perfect for significant events, such as worshipping one's ancestors, getting married, or installing the crossbeam in a house under construction. "It's a day for families to get together. I can still remember how happy and excited I was as a young kid," he said.

Ping's heavy workload in Shanghai means he rarely has the chance to enjoy dongzhi with his family, and he misses the tasty rice balls and the good old days of celebrating with people at home. "Last year, I went home early and brought back several rice balls made by my parents, and shared them with friends on the winter solstice," he said. "It's a sort of comfort."

This year he won't have time for a trip home, which means he'll miss out on his favorite rice balls. "I'll probably have to spend the day just like any other," he said, with disappointment.

Changing times

For Beijing native Liu Hongfei, the winter solstice will always be associated with the taste of dumplings. "Dumplings are a must," the 33-year-old said, although he admitted he had no idea why they are synonymous with the festival.

Although dongzhi was once one of the most important holidays in China, its lower profile in recent years means people are no longer allowed to take a day off work to celebrate it.

Zhang Ting, also from Beijing, said: "The winter solstice was a very important holiday during the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907), but the tradition has faded."

As a folklore enthusiast, she still likes to celebrate by eating dumplings, "but when I am inundated with work, I just let it go. When people ceased to work the land for a living, we stopped using the lunar year as a calendar and began using clocks and watches."

Xiao Fang, a professor at Beijing Normal University who specializes in the study of folklore, said regional differences in traditions are a result of China's vast size, and the variations in food reflects the prevalent crops in different parts of the country: "The winter solstice is one of 24 solar periods of the Chinese calendar. Different places have different customs because of different geological conditions and climates.

"Although the food varies, people's expectations of the spring and warm weather are the same," he said, adding that in days gone by, people believed that once the winter solstice had passed, the Earth began to warm up.

"People living in modern, industrial societies have a looser connection with seasonal changes," he said to explain the festival's relative decline.

However, he believes the festival should still be observed as a cultural tradition that helps people reconnect with the natural world. "It's much more interesting to enjoy our culture through a good understanding of the traditional world," he said.