The Chinese people are celebrating the winter solstice festival, known as Dongzhi, today. Today marks the shortest day time and the longest night hours  of the year, which means the day time will be longer. 

In China, it is also a traditional festival that the Chinese have been celebrating for centuries. People in various areas of China have different traditions on the day. 

In northern China, people usually eat Jiaozi, a special kind of dumpling to celebrate the festival. According to Chinese tradition, Jiaozi can help protect against the cold when winters are freezing in northern China. 

Garlic, chives, ginger and meat like lamb and beef, the common ingredients in Jiaozi, with a healthy serving of vinegar, could help people to keep warm, according to traditional Chinese medicine. 

Jiaozi are pinched up like Yuanbao, a kind of ancient Chinese money made of gold or silver, symbolizing fortune and good luck to the family. 

Meanwhile in southern China, on this day, people like to eat Tangyuan, a kind of glutinous rice balls. Traditionally, Tangyuan are made plain and are eaten with rice wine or filled with single nut flavor, like sesame, walnut, or peanut.

The roundness of Tangyuan means family reunion and also prosperity. Some families even make red-colored onesfor luck, as red symbolizes happiness and good fortune in Chinese tradition.   

In some areas of Jiangxi Province, Zhejiang Province and Shanghai Municipality, people commemorate their ancestors by performing rituals. Some families burn Mingbi, a form of offering that the deceased could spend in the afterlife, hoping their ancestors will bless the living family members.