The Dongzhi Festival, also referred to as the Winter Solstice Festival, celebrates the season’s turning point toward the warmer, lighter days of spring. It’s a time during the depths of winter to enjoy a hearty, fortifying family meal that raises hopes for spring’s arrival.
Mark Your Calendars
Dongzhi Festival 2024 is December 21, 2024. It takes place every year on December 21 or 22.
Here’s a simple guide to a holiday that’s all about helping you warm up during the bitterly cold winter months.
The Basics
To really get a feel for the Dongzhi Festival, you have to imagine hard, rural living during a gray Han Dynasty winter more than 2,000 years ago. Now picture a family meal at a table set with hearty, warming foods, raising the hopes for spring’s arrival. That’s the spirit of the Dongzhi Festival.
The Dongzhi Festival marries the winter solstice with nature’s harmonious balance of yin and yang energy. From this point forward, dongzhi (i.e. the extreme of winter) and the negative yin qualities of darkness and cold give way to the positive yang qualities of light and warmth. In other words, take heart — spring will come.
Dongzhi Festival Traditions
Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival was a day to regroup with a family get together before tackling the last leg of winter. Today, with survival less of a daily concern and no time off granted, the Dongzhi Festival is celebrated mostly with a family meal full of warm, hearty foods.
How to Make Tang Yuan
In southern China, people eat these round glutinous rice balls filled with sweet sesame or red bean paste which symbolize family togetherness and reunion. Serve each family member one large tang yuan and several small ones together in a ginger broth. Read More »
How to Make Lamb Dumplings
In northern China, people eat lamb dumplings for the Dongzhi Festival, a tribute to the Han Dynasty physician, Zhang Zhongjing, who served this warming food to poor farmers suffering from frostbite during one particularly cold winter. Read More »
When is the Dongzhi Festival?
The Dongzhi Festival takes place every year on December 21 or 22. There is no time off granted for the Dongzhi Festival.
Dongzhi Festival dates through 2026 are below.
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2015 | December 22 |
| 2016 | December 21 |
| 2017 | December 21 |
| 2018 | December 21 |
| 2019 | December 22 |
| 2020 | December 21 |
| 2021 | December 21 |
| 2022 | December 21 |
| 2023 | December 22 |
| 2024 | December 21 |
| 2025 | December 21 |
| 2026 | December 21 |
Your turn! Do you have any other questions about celebrating the Dongzhi Festival? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below!
HT: Photo by Life Is In The Small Things.
Nicole Renee
How fun! I have never heard of this holiday before, it would be a nice way to slow down before Christmas.
Wes Radez
Hey Nicole,
Yes, it’s definitely a fun one, all about cold weather and the winter solstice. Makes a lot of sense here in the States, too, where having something sweet bubbling on the stove when it’s cold outside is a familiar occasion. I’m going to post a tutorial on making tang yuan in the next couple of weeks. Hope it’s helpful!
Wes
Betty
This was such a helpful and organized overview! Thank you for putting this together!
Wes Radez
Quite welcome, Betty, thanks for stopping in. Checked out your site — very cool! ~Wes
Rafael
Do they share presents with each other too?
Wes Radez
Hi Rafael, no, the Dongzhi Festival is not a gift-giving holiday. ~Wes
frankie
This is very cool i have to do a project on this holiday and you helped thanks chief.
Wes Radez
Happy to help, Frankie. Good luck with your project. ~Wes
Michelle
Thank you for this information. Is there a certain greeting associated with the Dongzhi Festival? How can I wish a Chinese friend a happy Dongzhi Festival in Chinese?
Wes Radez
Hi Michelle, it took me a minute to find something with audio, but this YouTube video has some pretty helpful phrases in Mandarin. ~Wes
Lauren
Are there any books for children specifically about the Dongzhi Festival?
Wes Radez
Hi Lauren, sorry, not that I’m aware of! ~Wes
Allegra
This is great information! It helped me a lot on my school project about this holiday! Thank you so much!
Wes Radez
Quite welcome, thanks for stopping by! ~Wes
Erin
Thank you for this post.
I was looking for some region-specific Dongzhi foods and rituals and came across this, which might be helpful for some of your readers: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/winter-solstice-rituals.htm
Wes Radez
Thank you for sharing this resource! ~Wes
Cherie
I am teaching Christmas around the world to preschool age 4 children. I found this tradition for China in December. Besides making rice balls or eating dumplings, what is another main idea I can communicate to my kids about this festival? How does the ‘shoes for Seniors’ activity work? What are some ways preschool age 4 or 5 kids can participate in Dongzhi festivities?
Wes Radez
Thanks for your question, Cherie. Please refer to the article above for more information about the Dongzhi Festival. ~Wes