Why does Taiyuan eat Yuanxiao?

Lantern Festival originated in Han Dynasty.

The fifteenth day of the first month is the traditional Lantern Festival in China. It's natural to eat Yuanxiao, watch lanterns, enjoy riddles and raise a social fire when it's busy. There are many folk legends about the origin of Lantern Festival in China, but Taiyuan County has its own unique legend.

According to legend, Liu Heng, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, lived in Jinyang City (around the ancient county town of Taiyuan) when he became king. During this period, he was very interested in a kind of round stuffing food-Tangyuan, and introduced it to Jin Yanggong. After the death of Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, Zhu Lu conspired to make an insurrection, and Qiu and others put down the rebellion. In Beijing, he welcomed the king to the throne and became Emperor Wen of China.

That day happened to be the fifteenth day of the first month. Emperor Wen was happy and let his entourage and ladies-in-waiting go out to play at night and have a good time with the people. People decorate themselves with lanterns to celebrate. Until he returned to the palace late at night, Wendi felt hungry, so he asked the maid-in-waiting to cook a pot of Jinyang glutinous rice balls for everyone to share. After eating it, everyone said it was delicious and asked the name.

When Emperor Wen got excited, he renamed the "January" and "filial piety" of supper as "Yuanxiao" to increase the reunion of the monarch and the minister and the whole family. Since then, the custom of eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first month has spread. Taiyuan county is the hometown of Yuanxiao. Therefore, in the old society, every Lantern Festival, Taiyuan county was very lively, and every household had to celebrate the Lantern Festival, which was unprecedented.