First of all, the practice is different: the dumplings are "package" approach to do out, the skin smooth sticky.
The Lanterns are "rolled" out of the technique, the skin is dry and fluffy.Difference in filling: dumplings: generally: five nuts, bean paste, coarse grains. Now there are some creative: fruit filling, flower filling, etc.
Yuanxiao: filling specializing in many, mainly sweet, black sesame, bean paste, etc..
Difference in cooking time: Lanterns cook for a long time, more than 10 minutes. Tangyuan cooking time is short, 3 to 5 minutes.
About the southerners eat soup dumplings, northerners eat the Lantern. These are related to the taste habits of people in the north and south, as the saying goes: "North rolled Lantern, South package soup dumplings" In fact, eating soup dumplings and Lantern are the way people to celebrate the Lantern Festival.