Winter Solstice and "Rice Hour"
http://taiwan.lvyou114.com 2006-12-28 Thanks to the eggs under the member's red flag for providing this information
The winter solstice is one of the twenty-four solar terms, but it is customarily designated as the winter festival. In the old days, people gathered together to rub "rice time" in front of the ancestral tablet on the eve of this festival. "Rice time" refers to the round balls made by mixing rice and glutinous rice in a certain proportion, grinding them into slurry, pressing them into semi dry balls, boiling them, and then eating them with bean powder and sugar. When Fuzhou people rub "rice time", they put bamboo baskets on the table with several red oranges, a pair of red chopsticks, and paper flowers. Rolling "rice time" is also called "rolling round", which means reunion; "Meter time" symbolizes "fortune turns". The whole family will sit around the round table and sing while rubbing "rice time". Many lyrics imply harmony, growth and longevity.
