Why do we eat glutinous rice balls during the Spring Festival? What is the origin and meaning of glutinous rice balls?

Tangyuan was originally called Fuyuanzi, also known as Yuanxiao. It is mainly filled with sesame, peanuts, nuts, jujube paste, etc., and is wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape. It can be meat or vegetarian, with different flavors. It can be boiled in soup, fried, or steamed, and it represents reunion and happiness. So, why do we eat tangyuan during the Spring Festival? What is the origin and meaning of tangyuan? Let's take a look at the introduction of Encyclopedia Knowledge Network!

Contents of this article

1. Why do we eat glutinous rice balls during the Spring Festival?

2. The origin and meaning of glutinous rice balls

3. The difference between northern Yuanxiao and southern glutinous rice balls

Why do we eat tangyuan during the Spring Festival?

Because the Spring Festival is the day for family reunions, and glutinous rice balls are round, and round means "reunion" and "perfection". Eating glutinous rice balls during the Spring Festival symbolizes family reunion and harmony, and that everything in the past year has gone smoothly and perfectly, so glutinous rice balls are eaten to celebrate the New Year.

In the north, there is also a way of eating glutinous rice balls, also called fried Yuanxiao. Before frying, you should make sure to poke several holes in the Yuanxiao with a needle to prevent the pan from exploding and splashing oil during frying.

The Origin and Meaning of Tangyuan

Tangyuan originated from a novel food that emerged in Mingzhou during the Song Dynasty. At that time, it was filled with black sesame and lard, added with a little white sugar, and rolled into a round shape with glutinous rice flour. After being cooked, it was sweet and delicious, and full of fun. Tangyuan symbolizes reunion and beauty, and embodies people's beautiful expectations for life.

According to legend, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, King Zhao of Chu passed by the Yangtze River and saw a white sweet stuffed food. Confucius said that this food was white on the outside and red on the inside, which was a sign of revival. King Zhao of Chu was delighted and ordered his subjects to imitate this food and eat it on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year. From then on, the custom of eating glutinous rice balls on the Lantern Festival was established.

After the glutinous rice balls are cooked, they float on the water, which reminds people of the bright moon hanging in the sky. The bright moon in the sky and the glutinous rice balls in the bowl symbolize reunion and happiness.

The main ingredient of glutinous rice is glutinous rice. "Compendium of Materia Medica" says that glutinous rice is sweet and warm in nature, and can nourish the body's qi and blood, nourish the spleen and stomach, and keep out the cold and keep warm.

The difference between northern Yuanxiao and southern glutinous rice balls

The difference between northern glutinous rice dumplings and southern glutinous rice balls is that the northern glutinous rice dumplings are rolled out, while the southern glutinous rice balls are wrapped. Due to the different production methods, the appearance of glutinous rice dumplings and glutinous rice balls is also different. The glutinous rice dumplings are relatively rough, while the glutinous rice balls are delicate and smooth.

Eating glutinous rice balls is a custom of the Lantern Festival. The northerners centered around Beijing call them Yuanxiao, while the southerners centered around Jiangsu and Zhejiang call them Tangyuan.

The texture of northern glutinous rice dumplings is hard, and the fillings are also hard. The texture of southern glutinous rice dumplings is soft, sticky and delicate, and the fillings are sometimes runny.

Both Yuanxiao in the north and Glutinous Rice Balls in the south represent reunion and symbolize joy.