The custom of eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first month was first seen in the Tang and Five Dynasties. At that time, this kind of food was called "flour cocoon" or "round without falling corners", with glutinous rice as the skin and sugar stuffing in the middle, similar to today's Lantern Festival. Later, because it was a special food for the Lantern Festival, it was officially named Yuanxiao in Yongle period of Ming Dynasty. Yuanxiao contains a lot of sugar and oil. Excessive consumption will easily increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, leading to indigestion, flatulence and loss of appetite.
The practice of Yuanxiao is mainly stuffing. The general process is to mix the stuffing, stir it evenly, spread it into large round pieces, cool it and cut it into cubes smaller than table tennis. Then put the stuffing into a machine like a big sieve, pour the rice flour and "sieve" it. As the fillings collide with each other and become spherical, glutinous rice also sticks to the surface of the fillings, forming Yuanxiao.
Development course:
Yuanxiao originally meant "Lantern Festival Night", because the main activity of the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month was to eat Yuanxiao at night and enjoy the moon. Later, the name of this festival evolved into "Lantern Festival". The Lantern Festival will be held on the fifteenth day of the first month, which will push the celebration on New Year's Eve to another climax. On the night of Lantern Festival, the streets are decorated with lanterns and people appreciate them. Solve riddles on the lanterns and eating Yuanxiao have become the customs of several generations. During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty, it was ordered that the 15th day of the first month be designated as the Lantern Festival.
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities of "Taiyi God" were scheduled for the 15th day of the first month. Taiyi: the God who rules the universe. When Sima Qian created the taichu calendar Law, he had already identified the Lantern Festival as a major festival.