Dongzhi

Origins and meaning

Traced back to early Chinese cosmology, Dongzhi reflects the balance of yin and yang. After the solstice, daylight expands, bringing an increase in positive yang energy. The celebration began during the Zhou dynasty and became an official holiday under the Han dynasty, when people paused work to worship heaven and honor their ancestors. Ancient observers called it the festival of extreme length because the sun casts its longest shadows. Traditional belief also holds that the Kitchen God ascends to report on households to the Jade Emperor around this time.

Family gatherings and foods

Gathering for shared meals is central to Dongzhi. Families prepare tangyuan, small round balls made from glutinous rice flour that represent reunion and harmony. Served in sweet or savory broth, these dumplings are eaten together and sometimes pressed against doors and windows as protective talismans for children. In northern China, people eat crescent-shaped dumplings, a tradition traced to the ancient physician Zhang Zhongjing, who distributed lamb-filled pastries in broth to cure frostbitten ears. A popular belief says completing the festival adds a year to one's age.

Regional customs

Observances vary across regions. In Taiwan, households steam layered rice cakes shaped like animals to sacrifice to ancestors and eat warming tonic pots made with ginger duck or mutton. In Hong Kong, workplaces often finish early so staff can reunite with relatives, while in Suzhou, people burn dawn incense. In Korea, where the day is known as Small Seol, families prepare red bean porridge with rice balls to keep away bad spirits. In Japan, some mark the term by drinking hot grapefruit water and eating pumpkin.

How Dongzhi is kept

On the day of the solstice, families assemble at home or visit ancestral temples to offer food and burn joss paper for their forebears. Members roll glutinous rice into round tangyuan or shape wheat dumplings. Meals are eaten together, with each person receiving a portion of dumplings in broth. Some place cooked rice balls onto household doors or furniture for spiritual protection. In many places, the evening ends with hearty tonic dishes or hot pots to nourish the body for the cold weeks ahead.

When and where

Dongzhi takes place during the 22nd solar term of the traditional calendar, marking the winter solstice. In the solar Gregorian calendar, it falls each year between 21 and 23 December, coinciding with the day of the year that has the fewest daylight hours.

The festival is celebrated across China and Taiwan, as well as in Korea, Japan, and overseas Asian diaspora communities. Regional traditions remain active in cities like Hong Kong and Suzhou, where daily routines shift to allow time for family dinners.

What Dongzhi means

Dongzhi represents the turning point of the seasons and the victory of light over darkness. As the longest night passes, positive yang energy begins to rise again, bringing harmony and balance. The round shape of tangyuan symbolizes family wholeness and reunion, while sharing nourishing foods signifies care, health, and starting the new seasonal cycle with renewed vitality.

On the table

Flavours: Ginger

Days Dongzhi is marked

Dongzhi dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

Questions people ask about Dongzhi

See also

Double Ninth FestivalAn autumn festival of mountain walks, chrysanthemum wine and ancestor remembranceHalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageHanamiA Japanese spring custom of gathering under blooming cherry trees to eat, drink, and celebrate the fleeting beauty of thQingming FestivalA spring custom of sweeping family graves and honouring ancestors across East Asia.

Good reading and sources

• A Chinese sweet that’s a homophone for reunionBBC, Article
• A Chinese sweet that’s a homophone for reunionBBC, Article

• Dongzhi on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.