The origin and legend of glutinous rice balls are as follows:

There was a palace maid named "Yuanxiao" during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. She stayed in the palace for many years, missing her parents and crying all day long. . Dongfang Shuo was determined to help her, so he lied to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty 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 have the "Yuanxiao girl" do a lot of fire work on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He loved to eat glutinous rice balls and all the subjects lit up lanterns to worship them. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty announced that the "Yuanxiao" girl finally met her family. After that, the Lantern Festival was formed, and the custom of eating glutinous rice balls on the Lantern Festival also spread at this time.

Tangyuan culture

Eating glutinous rice balls is a traditional custom of the Han people, especially popular in Jiangnan. There is a saying among the people that "eating glutinous rice balls makes you one year older". Chen Zhisui's poem "Tangyuan" says: "Every winter solstice, every family cooks, and one year old is added, knowing that there is nothing." A popular saying in Ningbo goes: "Every family in Ningbo pound rice and make glutinous rice balls, and they are content and happy for another day." Hu Bingyan also has a poem that says: "The fragrant glutinous rice is used to make glutinous rice balls, and the boiling water floats with silver, riches, wealth and salt. It is sweet and smooth in the mouth, and the whole family is happy and drunk forever."