Eating seeds at the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan, the anniversary of Wu Zixu's death, the death of Cao E, a filial daughter of the Eastern Han Dynasty who saved her father from throwing himself into the river, and Qiu Jin, a modern revolutionary poetess. The traditional food for the Mid-Autumn Festival is mooncakes, which are round and symbolize reunion, reflecting people's good wishes for family reunion. Eating soup dumplings on the Lantern Festival symbolizes the joy of the family.
One, the Dragon Boat Festival
1, the origin: generally accepted by the public is: Legend has it that the Dragon Boat Festival is to commemorate the ancient Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan, who threw himself into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month to martyr himself. However, many of the Dragon Boat Festival customs that were prevalent in the world had been passed down long before that. Moreover, many of these customs have the element of driving away the plague and avoiding epidemics, so some people speculate that the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the taboo on the evil day (the fifth month of the lunar calendar is the month when the plague was prevalent in midsummer, hence the name). In addition, the scholar Mr. Wen Yiduo believes that the two most important activities of the Dragon Boat Festival - the race and eating dumplings - are related to the dragon (see "Dragon Boat Festival").
There is another theory, is to welcome the Tao God sacrifice totem said. Legend has it that in ancient times there was an ethnic minority in southern China (probably in the area of today's Zhejiang and Shanghai) who believed themselves to be the descendants of the dragon, and every year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year they would hold a ceremony to sacrifice the totem, in order to seek a favorable wind and rainfall in the coming year, and to have a good harvest. They wrapped their food in leaves or put it in bamboo and threw it into the river. Later, they also have the practice of visiting friends and relatives on this day with a dugout canoe. When they were happy, they held impromptu canoe races, which slowly evolved into today's Dragon Boat Festival custom.
2, meaning: Jin Dynasty, dumplings were officially designated as Dragon Boat Festival food. At this time, the package zongzi raw materials in addition to glutinous rice, but also add the Chinese medicine Yizhi Ren, cooked zongzi called "Yizhi zongzi". Zhou Zhou, "Yueyang customs and local records" recorded: "commonly wrapped in millet with Aizome leaves, ...... boiled, and rotten, on the fifth of May to the summer solstice to eat, a zong, a millet." North and South Dynasty period, the emergence of mixed rice dumplings. Rice mixed with animal and poultry meat, chestnuts, jujubes, adzuki beans, etc., more varieties. Zongzi also used as a gift for interaction.
Two, the Mid-Autumn Festival
1, origin: eating moon cakes, Mid-Autumn Festival diet. "Mooncake" was first seen in the Southern Song Dynasty Wu Zimu "Meng Liang Records". A round cake with filling bait, for the Lunar Mid-Autumn Festival seasonal food, Yuan Zhou Mi, "Old Story of Wulin": mooncakes for "steamed from food". So far in shandong yexian, weixian and other places have this kind of moon cake. Take the meaning of reunion. Xianfeng nine years "Jinxiang County": "Mid-Autumn Festival: for moon cakes, buy watermelon, gifts to friends and relatives.
2, meaning: China's traditional festival, on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the day of the moon, eating moon cakes custom. The mooncake is a symbol of reunion, reflecting people's good wishes for family reunion, but also for the deep thoughts of friends and relatives.
Three, the Lantern Festival
1, origin: the Lantern Festival, also known as the "on the Yuan Festival" or "Festival of Lights". According to information records, the Lantern Festival has appeared in the Han Dynasty, to the Ming and Qing Dynasties with the Spring Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival together known as the three major traditional Chinese folk festivals, so far there has been more than two thousand years of history.
2, meaning: "Lantern Festival" as a food, in China has a long history. Song Dynasty, the folk that is popular a Lantern Festival to eat novelty food. This food, the earliest called "floating yuanzi" later called "Lantern", the businessman also beautifully called "Yuanbao". In ancient times, "Lantern" is more expensive, there is a poem that says: "Your guests hook curtains to see the Royal Street, the market treasures a moment to come. In front of the curtain, there is no way to walk the flower racks, no money shall not return."