Tradition dies hard. In this Dong Zhi Festival 22/12/2010 ( 冬至, arrival of winter), the Chinese celebrates it with Tang Yuan ( 湯圓, round glutinous rice balls in soup) as a symbol of family reunion. In ancient days, the arrival of winter meant that the farmers would lay down their tools and celebrate the harvest by coming home to their families. It is also the Winter Solstice in Northern Hemisphere when the night is longest. The days will be longer from now and the festival is symbolic with better days to come.