Hechi prepares for Spring Festival through age-old customs

A woman makes rice dumpling on Feb 9 in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo by Gao Dongfeng and Qin Wen'ao/gxnews.com.cn]

The Little New Year, which falls on the 24th day of the 12th month of the lunar year, was celebrated on Feb 9 this year in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The Little New Year serves as a primer for the upcoming new year, and if there's anything that gets people excited for the festivities to come, it's the fragrance of rice dumplings.

Residents get together to make rice dumplings in Hechi to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. [Photo by Gao Dongfeng and Qin Wen'ao/gxnews.com.cn]

Making dumplings is a tradition stretching back 1,000 years and is an essential component of any Chinese New Year celebration.

By tightly wrapping reeds around balls of mixed grain or meat, people express their hopes for an auspicious future and good fortune.

Another popular custom is making glutinous rice cakes, especially among peoples of the Zhuang ethnic group.

Residents of Hechi show off their rice dumplings in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo by Gao Dongfeng and Qin Wen'ao/gxnews.com.cn]

This custom consists of putting steamed glutinous rice into a stone mortar and continuously pounding it with a pestle to make it stickier. It is usually accompanied with joy and laughter as local residents gather together to enjoy the delicacies as a community.

Zhuang people make glutinous rice cakes with pestles in Liujia town of Jinchengjiang district, Hechi on Feb 9. [Photo by Gao Dongfeng and Xu Qiuling/gxnews.com.cn]