The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the important traditional festivals in China. It is also a day for family reunion, admiring the moon and tasting delicious food.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many different customs and traditions in various places, one of which is eating snails.

Below I will give you a detailed introduction to the reasons why you eat snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and list some related customs.

The custom of eating snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from ancient folklore.

According to legend, on a Mid-Autumn Festival night in ancient times, a man named Wu Gang was exiled to the moon by the Queen Mother because he made a mistake.

Wu Gang lived a lonely life on the moon, eating only the bark and leaves of plants and trees every day.

Later, a kind fairy saw Wu Gang's plight and decided to help him.

The fairy turned into a snail and brought abundant food from the earth for Wu Gang to enjoy.

Wu Gang was very grateful, so every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people would eat snails to commemorate the fairy's kindness.

In southern China, especially in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the custom of eating snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival is very popular.

People gather together to taste snails in the days before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

They will choose fresh snails, clean them and cook them with various seasonings.

Common cooking methods include steaming, braised, stir-fried, etc.

The snail meat is delicious, tender and delicious, and is deeply loved by people.

In addition to eating snails, there are other customs related to snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

For example, some places will hold snail competitions during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people can participate in the competition to see who can eat it the fastest.

There are also some places that hold snail cultural festivals to showcase the types of snails, cooking techniques, etc., attracting many tourists to come and watch.

In addition, there are some related extended customs of eating snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

For example, some places will carve various patterns or words on the snails to make them more interesting.

There are also some places where people eat snails, admire the moon, guess lantern riddles, view lanterns, etc., which adds to the joyful atmosphere of the festival.

In short, eating snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival is an ancient traditional custom originating from ancient folklore.

People eat snails to commemorate the fairy who helped Wu Gang and enjoy the delicious food brought by the snails.

This custom is particularly popular in southern China and has spawned a series of activities and expanded customs related to snails.

Reference materials: 1. "Chinese Traditional Festival Culture" 2. "Chinese Traditional Festivals"