LET'S CELEBRATE! 冬至 Dong Zhi Festival 12.21.21 Traditions and Activities 冬至 lasts for 15 days, while the solstice celebration lasts 1 day. Family comes from all over China and the world to celebrate. 汤圆 Traditional food is which are sweet dumplings eaten during the celebration. mutton hotpot and babao porridge are also eaten because a common belief is yang represents warmth, so eating warm foods increases the yang or warmth. In Taiwan and southern China people visit their ancestral tombs and they give special 9 layered cakes to ancestors, such as parents or grandparents. In Northern China, they eat hot dumplings called . Because it is bitterly cold, they eat lots of warm foods. 饺子 What the Characters and Words Mean 冬至,means winter solstice, and is the namesake of the festival 饺子,A large dumpling that is eaten because it is believed eating warm foods increases yang energy a sweet dumpling which when said sounds like which means reunion. Yang energy is believed to increase warmth Yin energy is believed to increase the cold. 汤圆, 团圆, The traditional foods