Tang yuan is usually eaten during the Winter Solstice Festival or 冬至 (dong zhi). I think tangyuan is like a homophone for reunion.
Tang yuan can be filled with peanuts, red bean paste, sesame paste or just nothing. We usually make the nothing ones, and can really taste and appreciate the smooth and chewy texture of each ball. Mum will cook the 糖水 with ginger and pandan leaves. The soup complement the rice balls perfectly. 天衣无缝。
We used to buy the ready-made ones from the market/supermarket, erm they taste ok-ok, but nothing beats mum's handmade, homecooked ones yeah?
人家常说，吃汤圆就代表长大一岁了。要乖乖听话，也要多一份懂事和稳重。
但是问题是，我还并不想，我还没准备好迎接挑战，我还想躲在“小朋友”的躯壳了。
The world is ready for you. Are you ready for the world?
-J