Why do we eat glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival? Analysis of the Origin of Eating Tangyuan during Lantern Festival
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Introduction: my country's festival culture is rich and colorful, and each festival has corresponding customs and some food culture. For example, we eat rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival. Do you know why we eat glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival? What is the origin of eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival? Let’s find out together! The first month of the lunar calendar is the beginning of spring, and there are beautiful festivals everywhere in this month. Mr. Shui Mo lists these traditional Chinese festivals and customs for you one by one. According to legend, there was a maid in the palace during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty named "Yuanxiao". She was secluded in the palace for many years, missing her parents and crying all day long. Minister Dongfang Shuo was determined to help her, so he lied to Emperor Wu of Han that the God of Fire was ordered by the Jade Emperor to burn Chang'an on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The only way to escape the disaster was to let "Yuanxiao Girl" make a lot of glutinous rice balls, which the God of Fire loved to eat, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and all the subjects would light lanterns and offer sacrifices to her. Emperor Wu of Han agreed, and "Miss Yuanxiao" finally got to see her family. Since then, the Lantern Festival was formed. Yuanxiao is also called tangyuan. In history, it had many nicknames such as "mianjian, fenguo, ingot, tangbing, round corners", etc. It was not until the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty that it was officially named "Yuanxiao". There are two types of Yuanxiao: with filling and without filling. The ones without fillings are small and sweet, and are seasoned with white sugar, longan, osmanthus, diced lotus root and candied fruit. They are also called "pearl glutinous rice balls". The ones with fillings are large and shaped like walnuts. In the north, most Yuanxiao dumplings have sweet fillings, such as sugar, bean paste, sesame, hawthorn, etc. In the south, they have sweet, salty, meat, and vegetarian fillings. Ningbo glutinous rice balls and Guiyang Wujia glutinous rice balls are especially famous. "Walnuts wrapped in sweet-scented osmanthus filling, glutinous rice as big as pearls washed in well water. I heard that Ma's rice flour is good, so they sell rice dumplings in the wind during the lantern test." This poem "Shangyuan Bamboo Branch Song" from the Qing Dynasty reflects that Beijing has long had the custom of eating rice dumplings on the Lantern Festival, and that there were already shops famous for selling rice dumplings at that time. The Lantern Festival is the Festival of Lights. In China, the custom of watching lanterns during the Lantern Festival, which was left over from the Tang Dynasty, has been passed down among the people. In addition, the custom of eating glutinous rice balls on the Lantern Festival has been preserved to this day. Because glutinous rice balls are eaten on the night of the Shangyuan Festival - Lantern Festival, people are accustomed to calling them "Yuanxiao". During the Lantern Festival, restaurants, pastry shops, and even stalls on the sides of the road in Beijing set up to sell glutinous rice balls. Every household eats a bowl of steaming hot glutinous rice balls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. How people miss the customs left by our ancestors! Glutinous Rice Balls are also called Tangtuan and Fen Guo. Because they float on the water when cooked, they were also called floating dumplings in ancient times. People eat glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival, which actually means they miss their loved ones and long for reunion. The poem "Poem on Cooking Floating Rice Balls on Lantern Festival" written by Zhou Bida in the Song Dynasty is the earliest poem in my country that describes rice dumplings: "Who knows what night it is tonight? Everything is a reunion. The soup cook is looking for the old taste, and the kitchen maid is surprised by the new work. The stars are shining wrapped in dark clouds, and pearls are floating in the turbid water. I compile miscellaneous poems according to the season, and attach this to talk about my family tradition." Zhou Bida was a minister during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty. He usually rectified the military and political affairs and worked hard to govern the country. This short poem has already revealed his longing for the reunion of the people across the country as he raised his bowl. Even the girl who was lighting the fire under the kitchen was surprised to see her immersed in such a deep emotion of missing her hometown while cooking glutinous rice balls for everyone! Eating glutinous rice balls and remembering relatives is a custom that has been passed down to this day. Summary: After reading the introduction in the above article, we know the origin of the custom of eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival. Do you have a better understanding of the Lantern Festival? I hope everyone will be happy, safe and healthy in the new year! After reading this article, there are more exciting contents in the special topic of the first month of the lunar calendar. Let’s take a look! |
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