Authored by Joyce Chew
(Cover photo courtesy of Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Winter Solstice falls on December 21 each year and this marks the darkest night of the year. On this night in 2024, Toronto held the Kensington Market Festival of Lights. It was inspired by street theater and community storytelling. It brought the community out to experience winter’s darkest time and to share light and hope through art and community activities. The event was a pedestrian street festival instead of a parade. It featured more than 200 musicians, actors and puppeteers roaming the streets to honour the Winter Solstice and celebrate the longest night of the year, with a fire-lighting finale. (Submitted by Red Pepper Spectacle Arts).
“Yalda Night” is a Persian celebration that honors the Winter Solstice and occurs on December 20th or 21st. It is celebrated in Iran and other Persian diasporic countries and the festival marks the victory of light over darkness, and symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.
Traditionally, families gather together to read poetry, tell stories and share Yalda songs. They stay up all night to usher in the arrival of winter, with a renewed promise of spring. Such gatherings signify unity, solidarity, and the passage of wisdom between generations.
Among the cherished Yalda Night culinary traditions, there are some specific fruits and snacks that are symbolic. The watermelon – with the vibrant red hue – symbolizes the sun and is a reminder of the warm summers to come. The pomegranate, with its abundant seeds, is associated with fertility, a common symbol of spring’s renewal. Another culinary treat is “Ajil”, a mix of pistachios, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts served alongside other treats. Many believe that eating a variety of fruits and nuts can bring good luck and prosperity. Black tea, often brewed with cardamom and sometimes rose petals, is served to complement the whole festivity.
I was invited by my Iranian friends, the Mozafari family, to celebrate with them. As in any celebrations, food plays a major role, and there was a big feast of tasty food cooked in their traditional way. It was an occasion that I enjoyed, with the chickpea walnut cookies and the pistachios chocolate cake, rounded up with black tea.
I just learnt that Yalda Night is very similar to the Chinese “Dongzhi Festival”. Coincidentally it also falls on December 21st. Dongzhi is also the celebration of the arrival of the Winter Solstice with the longest night of the year.
It signifies the last night of autumn with the celebration of the longest and darkest night of the year, eventually leading to the emergence of longer and better days. Similar to other Chinese cultural celebrations, Dongzhi is also an occasion where families reunite and heap up the whole dining table to enjoy food such as “Tang Yuan” (glutinous rice balls) dumplings, wontons, or hot pot during a celebratory meal.
Tang Yuan brought back memories of our childhood. Our late aunt used to live in the rural area and she practiced the traditional ways of making this cultural specialty. She ground the glutinous rice grains on an old antique stone mortar. This flour was mixed with water to form a dough (the belief was that this method resulted in a more tasty dough). Glutinous rice flour was specifically used, otherwise the Tang Yuan would not be crunchy. The dough was then separated into portions and rolled into small balls, and my aunt was very particular that every ball had to be “perfectly” round for aesthetic reasons, and also to be respectful with our offering. According to Chinese custom, every year on Dongzhi, people make these Tang Yuan as an offering to Buddha and/or their ancestors.
Beyond the aesthetically pleasing roundness of Tang Yuan, natural food coloring is added to create a multi-coloured dessert. The buds that will sprout in spring share the same color as the green dyed Tang Yuan derived from pandan juice (sourced from screwpine leaves); the warmth of the coming spring sun can be tasted in the pumpkin puree used to create yellow dyed Tang Yuan; the orange colour, however does not come from pumpkin but rather from carrot puree; blue dyes are made from butterfly pea flower, reminding us of the butterflies that will metamorphize in spring; and pomegranate or beetroot juice creates the reddish-pink colour we see in so many spring blooming flowers. Even in the darkest of winter, we can see the glimpses of a mighty spring.
Traditionally, Tang Yuan are just plain colourful glutinous balls but nowadays the flavours are enhanced with peanut, red bean paste, or black sesame fillings. Nowadays, frozen Tang Yuan are readily available, and it is the “go-to” for the busy modern generation. However, the traditional practice of a syrup made with rock sugar and screwpine leaves is added to the colourful Tang Yuan. Ginger is added to the syrup, and this gives a unique taste that enhances this dessert. In Chinese culture, it is believed that by eating Tang Yuan, you welcome winter and become one year older.
