The Chinese New Year holiday officially has just passed, but actually the Lantern Festival, also known as Yuanxiao Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month in China (it is on February 24 this year), marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. On this day, people will eat glutinous rice dumplings, also called yuanxiao, which come in various flavors and are shaped like round balls. The classic flavour is sweet with lard-sesame filling, which happens to be a local specialty in my hometown.