冬至

昨天收到一個電郵︰

「Just a bit on冬至 (Dong Zhi) for those who are less familiar with the Chinese custom.

It falls on different day each year on Gregorian calendar. This  year it falls on Dec 22. It is calculated based on a system where each year is divided into 24 sub-periods, each of about 15-16 days (depending on the position of the Earth vs the Sun). Dong Zhi is the 3^rd last sub-periods before the beginning of Spring.

This is an important day for traditionally for Chinese, which depended on the weather and seasons for its agricultural performance.

冬至 (Dong Zhi) literally means the Peak of Winter, when the night is the longest in Northern Hemisphere in the year and thereafter it will get shorter. Dong Zhi therefore is a day when the Yang Energy starts to rise from the deep of the Earth, slowly ascending towards the surface of the Earth, preparing for growth in the coming Spring.  (some people interpret 冬至 as “arrival of winter”, which is not really correct since the night will get shorter from here. The reason the temperature will continue to drop from here for another 45 days is that the Earth is such a big resevoir of energy, it will take some time for it to reverse the course of the temperature, just like it will take a big ship some time  to reverse its course after the engine has gone into reverse gear earlier.)

冬至 therefore is the time when internally a system has started to enter into a new cycle, though it may not be expressed externally. This is an important change-over and we should all getting ready for the next phase of growth. This we do by not disturbing the tender Yang energy which is slowly ascending, making sure we do  not exhaust it while it slowly gathers strength over the next 45 days. So do not over partying over the year-end!!!

冬至 is celebrated with the traditional 湯圓 (“tangyuan”), glutinous rice balls cooked in sweet soup. I like them prepared in 2 colours, white and red, either plain or stuffed with either red bean paste or sesame seed paste. In colder region, adding some ginger will make it perfect.

*** Notes on Tangyuan “technicality” :

There are many ways to enjoy Tangyuan, though I would recommend trying 6 glutinous rice balls per serving (in a warm ginger soup with some brown sugar), 5 whites and 1 red. The 1 red signifying the ascending Yang energy. Why 6?  (that’s the base number of Yijing, the Book of Change). If you need bigger serving, simply make bigger glutinous rice balls. Have fun enjoying your 湯圓 (“tangyuan”)」

此人為何寫如此大段東西﹖其實只是想告訴大家，今天大家可以四時放工﹗嘩哈哈哈﹗

祝各位冬至快樂﹗