Why do we eat glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival

Eating glutinous rice balls expresses people’s love for family reunion. It shows the Chinese people’s inheritance and love for traditional festivals.

Detailed introduction:

Eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is a unique custom across the country. Almost every family eats Yuanxiao, which is glutinous rice balls. Folklore experts believe that when cooking glutinous rice balls, the glutinous rice balls float on the water after the pot is boiled, which is really beautiful and reminds people of a bright moon hanging in the sky. There is a bright moon in the sky, glutinous rice balls in the bowl, and every household is reunited, which means reunion is auspicious.

Therefore, eating glutinous rice balls expresses people’s love for family reunion. The survey also shows the Chinese people’s inheritance and love for traditional festivals and their love for Chinese culture. Eating Yuanxiao has a different taste.

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Benefits of eating glutinous rice balls

1. Eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival not only symbolizes the joy of family reunion, but also protects against cold, nourishes the spleen and stomach, and is beneficial to health. The health-preserving effects of lung qi.

2. The main material of glutinous rice balls is glutinous rice. "Compendium of Materia Medica" points out that glutinous rice is a grain that nourishes the spleen and stomach and replenishes lung qi. Glutinous rice is sweet in taste and warm in nature. After eating, it can nourish the body's qi and blood and nourish the spleen and stomach. The coldest season in winter is Sanjiu. Although it has passed now, the weather is still warm and cold at first. The most vulnerable thing to lose in cold weather is stomach qi.

3. The ancients used glutinous rice to make glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. In addition to the stickiness of glutinous rice, the dumplings are easy to put into the pot and will not fall apart. Glutinous rice also has the property of keeping out the cold.

4. Eating glutinous rice dumplings during the Lantern Festival will warm the spleen and stomach, and the breath will become quite smooth, causing the whole body to heat up and play a role in keeping out the cold. It is especially suitable for those with spleen and stomach deficiency.

5. In addition, glutinous rice also contains rich nutrients such as protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, niacin, etc. It can be said that glutinous rice dumplings are just a warming and strengthening food.

Why is it called Yuanxiao in the north and Tangyuan in the south?

The north "rolls" Yuanxiao, and the south "wraps" glutinous rice balls. These are two foods with different cooking methods and tastes.

In China, Yuanxiao and glutinous rice balls are two different things, which can be said to be due to the different origins of the north and the south.

The following differences exist between Tangyuan and Yuanxiao:

Tangyuan: Generally, glutinous rice noodles are mixed together, filled with fillings like dumplings, and then reunited. The fillings can be either meat or meat;

Lantern Festival: Generally, only plain solid sweet fillings are used. Cut the fillings into small pieces, dip them in water, and roll them in a basket filled with glutinous rice noodles. Sprinkle water while rolling to make them soak naturally. Roll the glutinous rice noodles into round balls. It can be produced on a large scale using machines.

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Legend: Established to commemorate "Ping Lu"

Another legend is that the Lantern Festival was established during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty to commemorate "Ping Lu" set up. After the death of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying, the son of Empress Lu, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Hui was weak and indecisive by nature, and his power gradually fell into the hands of Empress Lu. After Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty died of illness, Empress Lu took over the affairs of the country and turned the Liu family into the Lu family. The veterans of the court and the Liu family were deeply indignant, but they were afraid of Empress Lu's cruelty and dared not speak out.

After Empress Lu died of illness, all the Lus were in panic, fearing that they would be hurt and excluded. Therefore, they secretly gathered at the home of General Lu Lu to plot a rebellion in order to completely seize the Liu family.

This matter reached the ears of Liu Nang, the king of Qi, the Liu family. In order to protect the Liu family, Liu Nang decided to launch an army to attack Zhu Lu. Later, he contacted the founding veterans Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, and designed to remove Lu. Lu, the "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was finally completely put down.

After the rebellion was over, the ministers supported Liu Bang's fourth son Liu Heng to ascend the throne and became Emperor Wen of Han. Emperor Wen was deeply aware that peace and prosperity were hard-won, so he designated the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day when the "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was quelled, as a day of fun with the people. Every house in the capital decorated with lights and colors to celebrate. Since then, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has become a popular folk festival - "Lantern Festival".

The origin of eating glutinous rice dumplings during the Lantern Festival is brief

It is said that at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, King Zhao of Chu passed the Yangtze River on his way back to his kingdom and saw something floating on the river. It was white and slightly yellow in color, with something red inside. The flesh of rouge tastes sweet. Everyone didn't know what it was, so King Zhao sent someone to ask Confucius. Confucius said: "This duckweed fruit is a sign of revival for those who get it."

Because this day happened to be the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every time in the future, King Zhao ordered his men to imitate it with flour. This fruit is boiled and eaten with red hawthorn filling. There is another saying that Yuanxiao was originally called Tangyuan. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a maid named Yuanxiao in the palace who was very good at making Tangyuan. From then on, people in the world named it after this maid.

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In modern times, there are also stories related to the Lantern Festival. After Yuan Shikai became president, he was still unwilling to accept it. He still wanted to be emperor, but because his dream could not come true, he was troubled all day long. One day, his concubine said she wanted to eat Yuanxiao. As soon as she said the words, Yuan Shikai slapped her in the face. Because "Yuanxiao" and "Yuanxiao" are homophonic, Yuan Shikai gave an order to his subordinates not to say it again in the future. "Lanxiao", but can only say "tangyuan".

Reference materials: Baidu Encyclopedia - Lantern Festival

The origin and legend of the Lantern Festival

The origin and story of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival The origin story of the Lantern Festival is another major traditional folk festival after the Spring Festival. The festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival is characterized by the word "noisy".

In fact, many of the customs of the Lantern Festival are familiar to us, such as walking on stilts and welcoming Zigu. Let’s learn about the origin story of the Lantern Festival.

The origin story of the Lantern Festival 1

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival. Also known as Shangyuan Festival, Yuan Ye Festival and Lantern Festival. According to legend, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty celebrated Zhou Bo's pacification of the Lu rebellion on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Every night on this night, he would go out of the palace to play and have fun with the people. The fifteenth day of the month is designated as the Lantern Festival, and this night is called the Lantern Festival. Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar" and listed the Lantern Festival as a major festival. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has become more prosperous. "Book of Sui Dynasty Music Chronicles" states: "Whenever the first lunar month comes, all nations come to the DPRK and stay until the 15th day outside Duanmen and inside Jianguomen. It stretches for eight miles and is used as a theater." Tens of thousands of singers and dancers participated in the performance. It's dark until dawn, and then it's dark. With the changes of society and times, the customs and habits of the Lantern Festival have already undergone major changes, but it is still a traditional Chinese folk festival.

The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which dates back to the Qin Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. According to data and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has been taken seriously in the Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty worshiped "Taiyi" in Ganquan Palace on Xinye night of the first month of the first month, which was regarded by later generations as the precursor of worshiping the gods on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The original meaning of Lantern Festival is "the evening of the Lantern Festival", because the main activity of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month is eating glutinous rice balls and admiring the moon at night. Later, the name of the festival evolved into "Lantern Festival". On the night of the Lantern Festival, the streets and alleys are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. People admire the lanterns, guess lantern riddles, and eat the Lantern Festival. The celebrations that started on New Year's Eve push to another climax and become a custom that has been passed down from generation to generation. When the Lantern Festival was formed in the early stages of the festival, it was only called the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the first half of the first lunar month or the first day of the month. After the Sui Dynasty, it was called Yuanxi or Yuanye. Influenced by Taoism in the early Tang Dynasty, it was also called Shangyuan, and it was occasionally called Yuanxiao in the late Tang Dynasty. But since the Song Dynasty, it has also been called Dengxi. In the Qing Dynasty, it was also called Lantern Festival. Abroad, Lantern Festival is also known as The Lantern Festival.

The legend of the Lantern Festival

According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favorite named Dongfang Shuo, who was kind and funny. If someone in the palace offended Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, they would always rely on Dongfang Shuo to intercede.

One winter, it snowed heavily for several days. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty felt a little bored, so Dongfang Shuo went to the Imperial Garden to pick plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as I entered the garden gate, I found a palace maid with tears streaming down her face and ready to throw herself into the well. Dongfang Shuo hurriedly stepped forward to rescue her and asked her why she wanted to commit suicide.

It turns out that the palace maid’s name is Yuanxiao, and she has parents and a younger sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she has not seen her family again. Every year when the Spring Festival comes, I miss my family even more than usual. She thought that since she could not fulfill her filial piety in front of her parents, she might as well die, so she threw herself into the well. After hearing her experience, Dongfang Shuo sympathized with her very much and assured her that he would try to reunite her with her family.

On this day, after Dongfang Shuo left the palace, he set up a divination stall on Chang'an Street. Many people are vying to ask him for divination. Unexpectedly, what everyone wanted was the sign of "burning the body with fire on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month". Suddenly, there was a great panic in Chang'an. People have been asking for solutions to the disaster. Dongfang Shuo said: "On the evening of the 13th of the first lunar month, Lord Vulcan will send a 'Red Goddess' to visit the earth. She is the envoy who was ordered to burn Chang'an. If you see a girl in red riding a pink silver donkey, kneel down immediately. Begging. The girl said: "I came to burn Chang'an with the order. The Jade Emperor also stood on the Nantian Gate to watch. In response to my father's plea, I will give you the copied verses so that you can think of a solution today. After saying that, he threw down a red sticker and walked away.

The common people picked up the red sticker and hurriedly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took it and looked at it, and saw that it read: "Chang'an is in disaster, the emperor's palace is burning, the fire is burning in the sky, and the fire is red at night." Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was shocked when he saw it, and he quickly invited the resourceful Dongfang Shuo. After thinking about it, he said: "I heard about the fire. Shenjun loves glutinous rice balls the most. Doesn’t the Yuanxiao in the palace often make glutinous rice balls for you? On the evening of the 15th, you can make glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival. Long live the festival, burn incense and offer sacrifices, and order every household in Kyoto to make glutinous rice balls to worship the God of Fire. Then he ordered the subjects to hang up lanterns together on the night of the 16th, light firecrackers and set off fireworks all over the city, as if the city was full of fire, so that they could hide it from the Jade Emperor. In addition, the people outside the city were notified that they would come to the city on the night of the 16th to watch the lanterns and mingle with the crowd to resolve disasters. "

After hearing this, Emperor Wu was very happy, and he issued an order to do what Dongfang Shuo did. On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Chang'an City was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, and tourists were bustling. It was very lively. Yuanxiao's parents also took their sister with them. They went into the city to watch the lanterns. When they saw the big palace lantern with the word "Lantern Festival" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Lantern Festival!" Lantern Festival! " Yuanxiao heard the shout and was finally reunited with her parents and sister. After such a lively night, Chang'an City was indeed safe and sound. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was so happy that he ordered that glutinous rice balls be made for the God of Fire every fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the same will be done on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. Fireworks are hung up all over the city. Because the glutinous rice balls made during the Lantern Festival are the best, people call the glutinous rice dumplings the Lantern Festival, and this day is called the Lantern Festival.

The origin story of the Lantern Festival 2

Legend 1. : The legend of lighting lanterns

It is said that a long time ago, there were many ferocious birds and beasts, hurting people and livestock everywhere, so people organized to fight them. There was a divine bird that got lost and landed on earth, but unexpectedly He was shot to death by an unsuspecting hunter.

The Emperor of Heaven was very angry when he found out, and immediately ordered the Heavenly Soldiers to set fire to the human world on the 15th day of the first lunar month and burn all human and animal property to death.

The daughter of the Emperor of Heaven was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the innocent people suffer, so she risked her life and secretly came to the world on auspicious clouds to tell people the news. When everyone heard the news, it was like a thunderbolt ringing above their heads, and they were so frightened that they didn't know what to do.

It took a long time before an old man came up with an idea. He said: "On the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth of the first lunar month, every family will decorate their homes with lanterns and colorful lights. Sound the firecrackers and set off fireworks. In this way, the Emperor will think that everyone has been burned to death. The Emperor of Heaven looked down and saw that the world was filled with red light and loud noises. This was the case for three consecutive nights. He thought it was the flames of a fire and was very happy. In order to commemorate this time, people saved their lives and property. Success, from then on every fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every household would hang lanterns and set off fireworks to commemorate this day.

Legend 2: The legend of Dongfang Shuo and the Yuanxiao girl

According to legend, in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the palace. There was a palace maid named Yuanxiao. She never had the opportunity to see her family again after entering the palace. Every time when the Spring Festival came, she missed her family even more. So on a snowy day, she wanted to die, but she happened to meet the name of the favorite of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. His name was Dongfang Shuo. He was kind and funny. After hearing her story, he tried to reunite the Yuanxiao girl with her family.

For this purpose, Dongfang Shuo set up a divination stall on Chang'an Street and designed a "divination stall." The sign "Burn the body with fire" on the 16th day of the first lunar month means: "On the evening of the 13th day of the first lunar month, the God of Fire will send a red-clothed goddess down to earth to investigate. In fact, she is an envoy with the order to burn Chang'an. He must find a way to make this day I know." After the palace learned about it, they quickly reported it to the emperor.

When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came to take a look, he saw that it read: "Chang'an is in disaster, the emperor's palace is burned, fifteen days of fire, the flames are red "Midnight snack." He was shocked and quickly invited the resourceful Dongfang Shuo. Dongfang Shuo pretended to say: "I heard that Lord Vulcan loves glutinous rice dumplings the most. On the night of the 15th, I can ask the Yuanxiao girl in the palace to make glutinous rice dumplings. Long live the incense and offer them as an offering." Every household in Kyoto makes glutinous rice balls and worships the God of Fire together. On the night of the 15th, they hang up lanterns, light firecrackers and set off fireworks, and allow people outside the city to come into the city to watch the lanterns and eliminate disasters." Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed after hearing this, and followed the decree to do so. After a lively night, the city of Chang'an was indeed safe, and the Yuanxiao girl also met her family. After that, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every household would make glutinous rice balls to worship the God of Fire, and the whole city would hang up lights and set off fireworks, because the glutinous rice balls made by the Yuanxiao girl were the best. Well, people called glutinous rice balls Yuanxiao, and this day was renamed "Lantern Festival"

Legend 3: It was established to commemorate "Ping Lu" during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty

Another legend is Lantern Festival. The festival was established to commemorate "Ping Lu" during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. After the death of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying, the son of Empress Lu, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Hui was weak and indecisive by nature, and power gradually fell into the hands of Empress Lu. Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty died of illness. Empress Lu took over the government and turned the Liu family into the Lu family. The old officials in the court and the Liu clan were deeply indignant, but they were afraid of Empress Lu's cruelty and dared not speak out about her

Empress Lu's death. Later, Zhu Lu was panic-stricken and feared being harmed and excluded, so he secretly gathered at the home of General Lu Lu to plot a rebellion in order to completely seize the Liu family. In order to protect the Liu family, Liu Nang decided to launch an army to attack Zhu Lu. He then contacted Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, the founding veterans, and designed to eliminate Lu Lu. The "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was finally completely put down. .

After the rebellion was over, the ministers supported Liu Bang's second son Liu Heng to ascend the throne and became Emperor Wen of Han. Emperor Wen was deeply aware that peace and prosperity were hard-won, so he designated the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day when the "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was quelled, as a day of fun with the people. Every house in the capital decorated with lights and colors to celebrate. Since then, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has become a popular folk festival - "Lantern Festival".

The origin story of the Lantern Festival 3

The origin of the Lantern Festival

The origin of the Lantern Festival is very ancient, originating from ancient humans using torches to ward off evil spirits during the festival. This festival involves worshiping the gods. Since it is held at night, torches are naturally used. Later, it gradually evolved into the Lantern Festival.

The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in my country, which dates back to the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.

Lantern Festival lantern viewing began during the period of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Because Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty promoted Buddhism, it coincided with Cai's return from India to seek Buddhism. Cai said that in the Indian country of Magadha, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, monks gathered to pay homage to the Buddha's relics, which was an auspicious day to visit the Buddha

Come, Cai_ said that every fifteenth day of the first lunar month in Magadha, India, monks gather to pay homage to the Buddha's relics. It is an auspicious day to visit the Buddha.

In order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty ordered that on the 15th night of the first lunar month, lanterns should be lit in palaces and temples to represent the Buddha. Therefore, the custom of lighting lanterns on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month gradually spread in my country with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

Since then, this Buddhist ritual festival has gradually expanded into a grand folk festival. This festival has experienced the development process from the palace to the folk, and from the Central Plains to the whole country.

In addition, there is also a saying that the Lantern Festival originated from the Torch Festival. People in the Han Dynasty held torches in the countryside to drive away pests and beasts, hoping to reduce pest damage and pray for a good harvest. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has become more prosperous. Tens of thousands of people participated in the singing and dancing, starting from dusk on the first day to dark on the second day.

To this day, people in some areas of southwest my country still make torches out of reeds or tree branches on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and hold the torches high in groups to dance in the fields or grain drying fields.

With the changes of society and times, the customs and habits of the Lantern Festival have changed greatly, but it is still a traditional folk festival in my country.

The origin of the Lantern Festival is brief

The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional Chinese festivals, usually celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is one of the most representative festivals in traditional Chinese culture and one of the treasures of Chinese culture. The following is

The origin of the Lantern Festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. According to legend, the Lantern Festival began to spread during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At that time, people generally lit lanterns, set off fireworks, and ate glutinous rice balls and other celebration activities on this day. The official name of the Lantern Festival is "Shangyuan Festival", which originates from an important festival in Taoism - Shangyuan Day. This day is the day when the vitality of heaven and earth merge. It is considered to be a good day for the auspiciousness and the arrival of gods.

The celebration activities of the Lantern Festival include viewing lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, guessing lantern riddles, setting off fireworks, etc. The most representative ones are viewing lanterns and eating glutinous rice balls. Lantern viewing is one of the oldest traditions of the Lantern Festival. The lanterns are mostly red and come in various shapes, such as flowers, birds, fish, etc. Eating glutinous rice balls is one of the indispensable traditional delicacies of the Lantern Festival. Glutinous rice balls symbolize reunion and family harmony.

The Lantern Festival is not only widely celebrated in China, but also inherited and celebrated by Chinese people and enthusiasts around the world. It has become a cultural symbol and traditional festival of the Chinese nation, and also represents the unique charm and rich historical heritage of Chinese culture.