People also miss their parting relatives and place their good wishes for the future life. Yuanxiao is one of the traditional snacks of the Han nationality in China, which belongs to the festival food custom. There used to be a variety of names, such as cocoon, pink fruit, ingot, soup cake, round corner, etc., and it was officially named Yuanxiao in Yongle period of Ming Dynasty.
Yuanxiao is a round food made of glutinous rice flour, which can be divided into two types: solid and stuffed. There are sweet and salty ones with stuffing. Sweet fillings generally include lard bean paste, white sugar sesame, sweet-scented osmanthus assorted, jujube paste, nuts, sesame seeds, almonds, ginkgo, hawthorn and so on; Salty stuffing generally includes diced fresh meat, diced ham and dried shrimps. Yuanxiao with mustard, onion, garlic, leek and ginger is called Wuwei Yuanxiao, which means hard work, long-term progress.
Historical legends
Legend 1
There are many opinions about the formation of the Lantern Festival custom, but it generally took shape in the Han Dynasty. During the history of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty offered sacrifices to a god named Taiyi. It is said that "Taiyi" was a very prominent god at that time, ranking above the Five Emperors and being indebted to the Han Emperor, so it was worshipped in a prosperous way.
Legend 2
According to legend, there was a maid-in-waiting named "Yuanxiao" in the palace when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty lived in seclusion for many years, missing her parents and spending all her days in Lacrimosa. Dong Fangshuo, the minister, was determined to help her, so he lied to Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty that Vulcan was ordered by the Jade Emperor to burn Chang 'an on the 15th day of the first month to escape the disaster.
The only way is for the "Lantern Festival Girl" to make a lot of dumplings that Vulcan loves to eat on the fifteenth day of the first month, and all the subjects will decorate them with lanterns. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty allowed it to play, and the "Lantern Festival" girl finally met her family. Since then, the Lantern Festival has been formed.