Tang Yuan, a dessert

Tang Yuan（汤圆）, called ‘Nom Yi’ in Khmer, is a kind of dessert that is made and eaten on December 21 or 22 which is a day Chinese people call ‘Dong Zhi’（冬至）—‘The end of winter’. I’m not clear about the history of why this dessert is eaten on this day, but according to old people and what I’ve learnt, the round balls that made from flour and green bean paste means ‘reunion’ or ‘staying together’（团圆）. Family members gather and eat it together. My mother told me that long ago Tang Yuan was not a dessert, and it’s not filled with bean paste as today. What does it look like then? She said that it was made with solely flour, rolled into strings and cut into chicken soup, so it tasted salty not sweet. But everything has changed so far. I don’t know what kind of Tang Yuan is eaten in China nowadays, but the one shown in the picture is what my family has in Cambodia. Once a year we eat it, and we like it!