Traditional fare

Liu Liu, who is from a small town in the north of Jiangsu province, recalled that when she was young and lived with her parents, her father celebrated the solstice by cooking a wide range of dishes, the most important of which was always mutton soup. "It's traditional in north Jiangsu to have hot mutton soup at winter solstice because it gives warmth and energy to people facing a long, cold winter," she said.

The 28-year-old now works in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu, but she still celebrates the festival. However, living far from her hometown means she's unable to obtain the traditional ingredients for the soup, so over the years she's adopted dishes from other provinces and regions, such as dumplings and glutinous rice balls, which can be bought at almost any supermarket.

"I still celebrate the day, even though I don't have the soup. Celebrating the festival makes me feel I'm with my parents, even though we're miles apart," she said.

Liu's father treats dongzhi as one of the most important days of the year, second only to Spring Festival, the start of China's new year.

"After I left home for college in another province, at every winter solstice my father would telephone to make sure I had dumplings or glutinous rice balls on the day itself," she said. "Now I've developed the habit of having this sort of food at solstice, even without the reminders from my father."

However, the way in which the festival is observed differs widely across China, and even within the same province. For example, Liu's hometown is in the part of Jiangsu that lies north of the Yangzte River, and is usually deemed to be in North China, while the area south of the river is seen as part of South China and has different dialects, traditions, and eating habits.

Ping Yingchun, from Nantong in South Jiangsu, said the local people eat large, homemade glutinous rice balls to celebrate the solstice. "The balls, stuffed with peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, and pig's lard, are usually as big as an adult's fist. Even if you only eat two, you will be full and satisfied," the 27-year-old office worker said. "They're so delicious. I like them very much."

He said the people in his hometown still treat the solstice as an important day that's perfect for significant events, such as worshipping one's ancestors, getting married, or installing the crossbeam in a house under construction. "It's a day for families to get together. I can still remember how happy and excited I was as a young kid," he said.

Ping's heavy workload in Shanghai means he rarely has the chance to enjoy dongzhi with his family, and he misses the tasty rice balls and the good old days of celebrating with people at home. "Last year, I went home early and brought back several rice balls made by my parents, and shared them with friends on the winter solstice," he said. "It's a sort of comfort."

This year he won't have time for a trip home, which means he'll miss out on his favorite rice balls. "I'll probably have to spend the day just like any other," he said, with disappointment.