Also known as the Lantern Festival, Yuanzi, etc., it is rumored that the Tangyuan originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Tangyuan is not only a delicious food, the Tangyuan symbolizes the happy family reunion, eating the Tangyuan also means that the family is happy and reunited in the new year, so it is a must-have food for the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
The origin of the rice balls can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period, according to legend, when King Chu Zhao passed through the Yangtze River on the way back from the restoration of the country, he found that there was a strange item floating on the surface of the river, the color was white and yellowish, and there was a red and rouge in the middle of the sweet taste. So he sent someone to fetch it and went to ask Confucius. Confucius explained that it was a duckweed fruit, symbolizing a sign of revival. Because it was the Lantern Festival at that time, and King Zhao ordered his subordinates to imitate this fruit with noodles every time it was this day. Since then, every year during the Lantern Festival, people make and eat this food.
In ancient times, the Lantern Festival was also known as "floating yuanzi", "yuanzi", "lactose yuanzi" and "sugar yuan". In the records of "Pingyuan Continuation", "Guangji of the Year", "Daming Unification Fu" and other records, the Lantern Festival is often an indispensable food for celebrating the festival, carrying the meaning of reunion.
The Lantern Festival in the north is mainly based on fillings, and simple processes such as spreading, cutting, and shaking are used to make Lantern Festivals with a thin outside and solid taste. In the south, the process of making glutinous rice balls is more cumbersome, first mixing glutinous rice flour and water into a ball, then wrapping various fillings into it, and finally rolling it into a circle. The filling of the southern glutinous rice balls has more water content, and it is more viscous compared with the northern Lantern Festival.
The shape of the rice balls is full and round, symbolizing reunion and consummation. In traditional culture, the circle has an auspicious meaning and represents good luck. Therefore, glutinous rice balls are not only a delicacy, but also a kind of sustenance for people's expectations for a better life. Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every family will eat tangyuan, which has become a traditional custom.
In the 90s, with the development of technology, the application of quick-freezing technology made glutinous rice balls also enter stores and supermarkets. The surface of the dumplings in the south is smooth and shiny, and some still have a point, shaped like a peach, which is quite distinctive. However, since the skin of the dumplings contains enough moisture, they are not easy to preserve, so it is best to eat them freshly.
Write to the end. The meaning of eating glutinous rice balls during the New Year is reunion and peace. Tangyuan homonym reunion, the Spring Festival is a traditional festival of family reunion, usually running around the wanderers have to go home on this day, the family sits at the table to have a meal, called "reunion dinner". Tangyuan was also born because of this, and it gave people a good wish for a safe and reunited family. New Year, New Weather, Year of the Dragon