WINTER SOLSTICE & LANTERN FESTIVAL—and Family Reunions
WINTER SOLSTICE & LANTERN FESTIVAL—and Family Reunions
By Kevin Stoda, Matsu Islands, Taiwan, December 22, 2010
Last night, a lot of firecrackers were set off across the Chinese Calendar World. The noise and celebration continued into this morning, with the eating of “Tang-Yuan” which “are sweet glutinous balls made by sweet rice and served with hot sugar water. It's kind of sticky. Not every child can swallow them. So [some] people make some in red color to make [them] prettier. . . . Tang-Yuan are filled with different ingredients inside such as red bean paste, creamy peanut or sesame paste. Also, Tang-Yuan can be served with whole red bean or whole peanut soup and become a tasty dessert.”
According to many in the Chinese world, “[t]o eat Tang-Yuan on the Winter Solstice is a required custom. All children are told that people can add one year for their age after eating Tang-Yuan.” I decided to have two bowls full this Tang-Yuan Day.
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/ChineseNewYear/ChineseNewYear.htm#TangYuan
According to internet reports I have been referred to, “Winter Solstice is the longest night in China. It's in the cold [of] December and Chinese eat Tang-Yuan to keep their body warm. In Chinese, Tang is soup and Yuan is round, which implies reunion, [i.e. meaning the sense of experience of having] ful satisfaction. In the old farmer society, the poor couldn't afford to have Tang-Yuan on the Winter Solstice, but now in Taiwan everyone can afford it.
There is a sense of hope and joy related to the winter solstice. The days will start becoming longer and in Chinese traditions a long 20 day New Years celebration is just over a month away. For this reason the Tang-Yuan that is eaten on this day is simply a foretaste of what is to come.
REUNION
When News Years arrives and the Lantern Festival starts, “People will eat yuanxiao, or rice dumplings, on this day, so it is also called the "Yuanxiao Festival." As noted above,“ tangyuan in Chinese has a similar pronunciation with ‘tuanyuan’, meaning reunion. So people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family.”
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Festivals/78320.htm
As my wife, Maria Victoria Stoda, was not allowed to board my plane in Manila back to work in Taiwan this past week, a focus on reunion is a must for me this Chinese and Chrstmas Holiday Season.
Interestingly, the legend of the "Yuanxiao Festival" also has its founding legend set in a family reunion, whereby the imperial palace maid named Yuanxiao was missing her family.
THE LEGEND
http://www.orientalfood.com/culture/festival/legendoflantern.shtml
Here is the story behind the Lantern Festival: During the reign of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty, there was a palace maid named Yuanxiao. Yuanxiao was a clever and kind-hearted girl, but she was very sad and homesick as she was locked up in the palace all year round.
Luckily she found a friend in a minister called Dongfang Shuo. He told the emperor a clever story and helped Yuanxiao see her family again.
Shuo told the emperor the Supreme Deity of Heaven had ordered the God of Fire to set the city of Changan ablaze on the 16th day of the first month of the lunar year. Shuo said the only way to prevent this from happening was to let off firecrackers and hang up red lanterns all over the city. Shuo said everyone-even the palace maids-would have to participate in the lantern show.
Knowing that the God of Fire loved to watch a good fire show and that he also liked the dumplings made by Yuanxiao, Shuo suggested to the emperor he allow Yuanxiao to present her dumplings to the god. Shuo said the fire god would surely be appeased and therefore save the city of Changan.
The emperor bought the story and ordered the city of Changan to spend that entire night letting off firecrackers and playing with lanterns. Nothing amiss happened that night and Yuanxiao took advantage of her time outside the palace to have a family reunion.
Emperor Wu Di had such a good time that the next year he again ordered that red lanterns be hung all over the city on that same day and the little palace maid made her dumplings again too.
Thus the 15th day of the first lunar month of the year became a festival. The Lantern Festival is also called the Yuanxiao Festival, named after the famous dumplings. On this night, people celebrate under the first full moon of the year, which is symbolic of family reunions and a full happy life.
By Kevin Stoda, Matsu Islands, Taiwan, December 22, 2010
Last night, a lot of firecrackers were set off across the Chinese Calendar World. The noise and celebration continued into this morning, with the eating of “Tang-Yuan” which “are sweet glutinous balls made by sweet rice and served with hot sugar water. It's kind of sticky. Not every child can swallow them. So [some] people make some in red color to make [them] prettier. . . . Tang-Yuan are filled with different ingredients inside such as red bean paste, creamy peanut or sesame paste. Also, Tang-Yuan can be served with whole red bean or whole peanut soup and become a tasty dessert.”
According to many in the Chinese world, “[t]o eat Tang-Yuan on the Winter Solstice is a required custom. All children are told that people can add one year for their age after eating Tang-Yuan.” I decided to have two bowls full this Tang-Yuan Day.
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/ChineseNewYear/ChineseNewYear.htm#TangYuan
According to internet reports I have been referred to, “Winter Solstice is the longest night in China. It's in the cold [of] December and Chinese eat Tang-Yuan to keep their body warm. In Chinese, Tang is soup and Yuan is round, which implies reunion, [i.e. meaning the sense of experience of having] ful satisfaction. In the old farmer society, the poor couldn't afford to have Tang-Yuan on the Winter Solstice, but now in Taiwan everyone can afford it.
There is a sense of hope and joy related to the winter solstice. The days will start becoming longer and in Chinese traditions a long 20 day New Years celebration is just over a month away. For this reason the Tang-Yuan that is eaten on this day is simply a foretaste of what is to come.
REUNION
When News Years arrives and the Lantern Festival starts, “People will eat yuanxiao, or rice dumplings, on this day, so it is also called the "Yuanxiao Festival." As noted above,“ tangyuan in Chinese has a similar pronunciation with ‘tuanyuan’, meaning reunion. So people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family.”
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Festivals/78320.htm
As my wife, Maria Victoria Stoda, was not allowed to board my plane in Manila back to work in Taiwan this past week, a focus on reunion is a must for me this Chinese and Chrstmas Holiday Season.
Interestingly, the legend of the "Yuanxiao Festival" also has its founding legend set in a family reunion, whereby the imperial palace maid named Yuanxiao was missing her family.
THE LEGEND
http://www.orientalfood.com/culture/festival/legendoflantern.shtml
Here is the story behind the Lantern Festival: During the reign of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty, there was a palace maid named Yuanxiao. Yuanxiao was a clever and kind-hearted girl, but she was very sad and homesick as she was locked up in the palace all year round.
Luckily she found a friend in a minister called Dongfang Shuo. He told the emperor a clever story and helped Yuanxiao see her family again.
Shuo told the emperor the Supreme Deity of Heaven had ordered the God of Fire to set the city of Changan ablaze on the 16th day of the first month of the lunar year. Shuo said the only way to prevent this from happening was to let off firecrackers and hang up red lanterns all over the city. Shuo said everyone-even the palace maids-would have to participate in the lantern show.
Knowing that the God of Fire loved to watch a good fire show and that he also liked the dumplings made by Yuanxiao, Shuo suggested to the emperor he allow Yuanxiao to present her dumplings to the god. Shuo said the fire god would surely be appeased and therefore save the city of Changan.
The emperor bought the story and ordered the city of Changan to spend that entire night letting off firecrackers and playing with lanterns. Nothing amiss happened that night and Yuanxiao took advantage of her time outside the palace to have a family reunion.
Emperor Wu Di had such a good time that the next year he again ordered that red lanterns be hung all over the city on that same day and the little palace maid made her dumplings again too.
Thus the 15th day of the first lunar month of the year became a festival. The Lantern Festival is also called the Yuanxiao Festival, named after the famous dumplings. On this night, people celebrate under the first full moon of the year, which is symbolic of family reunions and a full happy life.
Labels: WINTER SOLSTICE taiwan holidays LANTERN FESTIVAL and Family Reunions
posted by Kevin Anthony Stoda at 6:32 AM
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