No holiday or ritual - dumplings are a meal mainstay; because the ingredients are inexpensive and accessible, people make them all year round. The stuffed fruit dumplings are considered a dessert treat, and are often enjoyed on holidays and special occasions. On Passover, where Jews cannot eat any levened foods for eight days, the flour used in the dough is substituted for matzoh meal, or ground matzoh.
In Germany and the Czech Republic (and likely elsewhere in Eastern and Central Europe), the Pflaumen en Schlaffrok are considered a special treat on Sukkot and Simchat Torah, during which cooks can make use of seasonal produce. If fresh fruit is not available, cooks will use povidla, or plum preserves (in addition to other fruit preserves), as filling.
