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冬至 — dumplings on the solstice
The winter solstice, 冬至, is a fixed point in the Chinese year, and it is marked by eating. In the north that means 饺子, dumplings, with a saying that anyone who skips them will have their ears freeze off — the dumpling being ear-shaped. In the south it is 汤圆, glutinous rice balls in sweet soup, round and therefore standing for a family being whole. The solstice once mattered enough to be a holiday, and the phrase 冬至大如年 — the solstice is as big as New Year — survives from that.