Glutinous flour used for making the tang yuan sold at the market
My mum and other Chinese elders will always say that the Winter Solstice (Dong Zhi) is a very important occasion. On the day of the Winter Solstice, the Yin is at its peak with the longest night. From then on, it will give way to the light and warmth of Yang. And the Chinese consider it a right time for optimism and joy.
Today is Dong Zhi and my mum woke up early to prepare the tang yuan or tong yuen 湯圓 (glutinous rice flour balls) and other food as offerings to the house deities.
The Taiwanese have another use for the tong yuen besides using them as prayer offerings and then eating. According to Taiwanese history, many people take some of the “Tangyuan” that have been used as offerings and stick them on the back of the door or on windows and tables and chairs. These “empowered” “Tangyuan” supposedly serve as protective talismans to keep evil spirits from coming close to children.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment