Singapore — Usually Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim’s posts on social media are usually about his work in Parliament and developments in the Anchorvale ward of Sengkang GRC.
But every so often, he will post photos of a more personal nature.Â
On Tuesday, he shared a photo of his young daughter enjoying a Winter Solstice treat of tang yuan for the first time.
The little one “couldn’t get enough of” bites of tangyuan, her father wrote.
“Around the world, festivals are an important way to remember the past, and to commemorate with practices that bind us together as a community.Â
By the same token, the passing on of tradition ensures that these memories persist in the generations to come.Â
This Dongzhi, our daughter is now old enough for her to partake in this festival, so today, she had her first taste of tangyuan (which she couldn’t get enough of, and yes, I broke them into bite-size pieces). For those who celebrate, a happy winter solstice.”
Tangyuan, or sweet rice balls, are traditionally eaten on the day of the shortest sunlight for the year.
According to this site, they are a symbol for the happiness of families reuniting.
“The shape and the pronunciation of tangyuan symbolize being together with your beloved one and family reunion.
The lucky saying of eating tangyuan is团团圆圆 (Tuántuán yuányuán/ ‘group-group round-round’): Happy (family) reunion!”
Winter Solstice, which is an important festival celebrated by many in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
It is not the first time that the Sengkang GRC MP has featured his little girl on his social media accounts, although, like fellow MPs and young parents He Ting Ru and Louis Chua as well as many parents around the world, he obscures his little one’s face for protection and privacy.
On Halloween, he showed a photo of her in a Wonder Woman costume and said, “Now that I have a daughter of my own, I also have a better understanding of the fun that kids derive from dressing up and going house-to-house trick-or-treating for candy… We’re staying away from the sugary treats, but we did get the little one into an Amazonian costume of her own!”
For his part, to mark the Winter Solstice, WP chief Pritam Singh re-shared a photo of “a bowl of soya bean curd with wonderful tasting sweet rice balls” from 2017.
He offered this greeting: “Happy Winter Solstice! A day with the shortest daylight, but a long-celebrated tradition of many cultures, particularly in the East. Happy Dongzhi!”
/TISG
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