Opinion | This winter solstice, let’s put the dark days behind us and start to rebuild Hong Kong
- Perhaps the festival can inspire us to begin to confront our shared vulnerability, not only to Covid-19, but also to the social and political contagion that has been spreading among us for years
While it may seem like every major Chinese festival is about family, reunion and harmony – there are many throughout the year – and dong zhi is just another excuse for feasting, I’m having a change of heart this year as extraordinary circumstances have made these traditions nearly impossible to observe.
I used to find dong zhi a bit of a chore – and at times, especially if it got in the way of unfinished Christmas shopping, a great inconvenience; after all, in just days, we would be getting together for Christmas anyway.
But then there is often much more to a Chinese festival than over-the-top feasts. On what is the shortest, darkest day of the year, families come together to welcome warmer, brighter days ahead. It is about huddling together, literally or not, to survive the coldest weather, endure the longest night and tough it out.
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Christmas lights go on in Paris were streets remain empty because of second coronavirus lockdown
This is why not being able to get together for the winter solstice in this year of social distancing feels like a heavy blow. Still, dong zhi can perhaps inspire hope and togetherness in other ways.
