Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, was overjoyed. He took a beautifully decorated cake box, took out colorful round cakes, pointed to the bright moon hanging in the sky and said, "We're going to invite toads (that is, the moon) to make cakes." Subsequently, the round cakes were distributed to civil and military officials. Since then, the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival has been handed down.
Extended data:
The origin of eating moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival;
According to legend, in ancient China, the emperor had a system of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. In the folk, every Mid-Autumn Festival in August, there is also a custom about Yue Bai or offering sacrifices to the moon. The famous proverb "The moon is full on August 15th, and the Mid-Autumn moon cake is sweet and fragrant" tells the custom of urban and rural people to eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn night.
At first, moon cakes were used to worship the moon god. Later, people gradually regarded Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion, and mooncakes gradually became holiday gifts. Moon cakes originally originated from Zhu Jie food in the Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Tang Gaozu, General Li Jing conquered the Huns and returned home in triumph on August 15.
Turpan people who were doing business at that time presented cakes to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Gaozu Li Yuan took the gorgeous cake box, took out the round cake, smiled at the bright moon in the sky and said, "We're going to invite toads with Hu cakes." After that, share the cake with the ministers.
Baidu encyclopedia-moon cake