People eat Yuanxiao in the north.

Eating Yuanxiao during the Lantern Festival is a custom in many places, but on this point, there are still some differences between the north and the south. Northerners eat Yuanxiao during the Lantern Festival, while southerners eat Tangyuan during the Lantern Festival. Many people think that these two names refer to the same thing, but they are actually different. Although the appearance is the same, the taste is very different.

The first is the selection of raw materials. Yuanxiao uses high-quality long glutinous rice, and glutinous rice balls use high-quality round glutinous rice. The second is the choice of fillings. Yuanxiao is mostly filled with assorted vegetables and jujube paste, while glutinous rice balls are mostly filled with sesame, bean paste and walnut kernels. Finally, there is the difference in taste. The skin of Yuanxiao is chewy and chewy, while the skin of Tangyuan is smooth and delicate.

Lantern Festival Customs

Lantern Festival customs have been dominated by the warm and festive lantern viewing customs since ancient times, including lantern viewing, eating glutinous rice balls, guessing lantern riddles, setting off fireworks, and dragon dancing. A series of traditional folk activities such as lion dance, stilt walking, door worship, household sacrifice, etc. Regarding the origin of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, there have been various legends since ancient times, among which three theories are widely circulated.

One of the legends is that the Lantern Festival was established during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to commemorate the Ping Lu family’s rebellion. The second legend is that according to the Taoist theory of the Three Yuan Dynasties, the Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, is a celebration that people celebrate. On the first full moon night of the year, the third legend is that the Lantern Festival originated from the Torch Festival. The formation of the Lantern Festival customs has a long process, and it has been taken seriously on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the Western Han Dynasty.