Winter solstice traditions continue in Penang despite dry taps

GEORGE TOWN: The Winter solstice festival saw various columbariums here crowded as many turned up to offer glutinous rice balls, or tang yuan, to pay their respects to their ancestors, despite some facing water shortages at home.

Among them was a 33-year-old data analyst who only wanted to be known as Chew from Relau, who had resorted to buying bottles of drinking water just to prepare and cook the rice balls a day ahead for her late father.

“There are eight people in my family living in a flat in Relau, and the water supply has stopped since Wednesday.

“We stored some water in buckets, but they ran out, so I bought more than 10 bottles of drinking water to use and, most importantly, for my mother to prepare the rice balls and cook them.

“While it certainly is more challenging to cook and wash with a shortage of water, the preparation of tang yuan is a must during this festival, and we try our best not to miss it,” she said when met at the United Hokkien Cemeteries in Paya Terubong here Friday (Dec 22).

Her family were among some 200,000 in the south-west district as well as in Seberang Perai and the north-east district affected by water disruption to facilitate repair works on a pipe that burst on Monday (Dec 18) by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP).

At the Batu Gantong Crematorium, 56-year-old factory operator Tan Gim Swan from Relau said she had prepared the rice balls with the little remaining water in storage but hadn’t washed all the utensils after using them to conserve water.

“The water supply stopped three days ago, and we are minimising washing and cooking to conserve any remaining water in storage.

“This year’s winter solstice festival, we resorted to just takeaway food but still made our own tang yuan at home.

“Only a small amount of water is needed to knead the dough and cook the rice balls, so we decided not to wash all the utensils after cooking until the water supply resumes,” she said.

Similarly, 55-year-old housewife Cheah Khin Hong faced a water disruption at her apartment in Gelugor on Thursday (Dec 21) due to the connection of diverted water pipes from the construction of the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu to the Air Itam flyover project by the state.

“Without water for a day, we just ate outside and bought the tang yuan from a shop.

“After so many years of celebrating the winter solstice festival, this is the first time we have bought tang yuan instead of making it ourselves.

“Most importantly, it signifies reunion, and we are still able to keep most of the traditions by offering them to our ancestors,” she said.

Cheah was among about 9,000 consumers in several parts of Air Itam affected by the scheduled water supply interruption on Thursday to connect the diverted water pipes.

Winter solstice, which falls on Friday, is the day with the longest night of the year.

It is the peak of winter, and after the solstice passes, daylight hours become longer, and nights grow shorter.

The glutinous rice balls are used to worship ancestors and given to relatives and friends as gifts during the festival.

With little to eat in China’s ancient agrarian societies during the snowy weather, tang yuan desserts became their sole feast.

Farmers would look forward to winter ebbing and getting ready for the next planting season when spring comes.

The local Chinese community celebrates the winter solstice festival by making the delicacy synonymous with the festival – the tang yuan – that comes with a variety of fillings such as red bean, peanut or sesame paste and is served in plain or ginger syrup.