Origin:

The word "mooncake" was first used in Wu Zimu's "Dreaming Liang Records" in the Southern Song Dynasty, and it was only a kind of snack food at that time. Later on, people gradually combined moonlight viewing with mooncakes to symbolize family reunion and to send their thoughts. At the same time, mooncakes are also an important gift for friends during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The mooncake symbolizes reunion, which should also be documented since the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty about the moon cake and the Mid-Autumn Festival folklore, should be able to see the historical trajectory of the moon cake meaning reunion: the Mid-Autumn Festival after the moon festival, the whole family are sitting around together to share the moon cake and moon fruit (moon festival offerings).

Expanded:

Mooncake "ancestor"

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in the ancient times, popularized in the Han Dynasty, stereotyped in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, and flourished after the Song Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a remnant of the ancient celestial worship - the custom of honoring the moon. At the time of the autumnal equinox, it is an ancient "moon festival". The Mid-Autumn Festival was derived from the traditional "Moon Festival".

According to the evidence, the original "Moon Festival" was set on the day of the "Autumn Equinox" on the 24th solar term of the Dry Branches Calendar, but because the day in the eighth month of the lunar calendar varies from year to year, and there may not always be a full moon, the festival was later changed from the "Moon Festival" to the "Mid-Autumn Festival", which is the first of its kind in the Chinese lunar calendar. Moon Festival" by the "Autumn Equinox" to the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Moon Festival, in our country is a very ancient custom, in fact, is the ancient times in some parts of our country ancient people on the "moon god" of a worship activity.

Mooncakes are the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival offerings to worship the moon god, passed down, it formed the Mid-Autumn Festival custom of eating mooncakes. In ancient times, every Mid-Autumn Festival, people would place round fruits and vegetables symbolizing a good harvest on an incense burner and kneel down to worship the moon, praying for the safety of their families and good fortune. In ancient times, young girls would worship the moon to pray that Chang'e, the celestial fairy who lived in the moon palace, would bless them with a face like the white moon and a face like a flower.? Mooncakes have a long history in China. According to historical records, as early as the Yin, Zhou period, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, there is a commemorative master Wen Zhong's side of the thin heart thick "master cake", which is said to be the Chinese moon cake "ancestor".

Baidu Encyclopedia - Mooncake