Lantern Festival
Although the above stories are quite fantastical, it is sure that
the origins of Lantern Festival are related to ancient humanity's use of fire to
celebrate festivals and avert disaster. Since Lantern Festival involves making
offerings to the deities and is celebrated at night, it is natural that fire
would play an important role. Over time, Lantern Festival gradually evolved into
its present form. When Buddhism was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty , the emperor decreed that on the night of
the full moon of the first lunar month, lanterns should be lit to honor Buddha,
adding yet another level of significance to Lantern Festival. And according to
Daoism, Lantern Festival is associated with the primordial deities of Heaven and
Fire, who were born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Eating yuanxiao (sweet dumplings made with glutinous rice flour)
is one of the special traditions of Lantern Festival. Lantern Festival is also
called Yuanxiao Festival. Another name for yuanxiao is tangyuan, which literally
means "boiled spheres."
Legend has it that yuanxiao date back to China's Spring and Autumn Periods. During the Tang Dynasty they were called mianjian (flour cocoons) or yuan
bu luo ni. During the Song Dynasty they were called yuanzi (spheres) or tuanzi
(dumplings).
There are many different types of yuanxiao, with fillings covering
the entire range of the Five Flavors (savory, spicy, sweet, sour, and salty).
Sweet fillings are the most common, and include sweet bean paste, sesame, date
paste, ginkgo nut, peanut, almond, and hawthorn fruit. Other fillings include
pickled cabbage, minced pork, minced ham, shrimp, green beans, and
chrysanthemum. There are two methods for making yuanxiao - wrapping and rolling.
Wrapped yuanxiao are called tangyuan, and are popular in southern China.
Tangyuan are assembled by making a depression in a ball of glutinous rice flour
dough, inserting the filling into the depression, and then sealing the ball.
Rolled yuanxiao are popular in northern China. Assembly consists of rolling a
small ball of the filling in dry glutinous rice flour, building it up like a
snowball until it reaches the desired size. The completed yuanxaio and tangyuan
may be boiled, steamed, or deep-fried.
With the approach of Lantern Festival,
yuanxiao can be seen everywhere, further heightening the festive holiday spirit.
The round shape of yuanxiao symbolizes the family circle, and eating yuanxiao
symbolizes the hope for family reunions. Yuanxiao are not only a traditional
holiday food, but also were used to express respect for the deities. Their round
shape also represents perfection and unity. According to a Taiwanese folk
saying, "eating tangyuan leads to reunions."
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