Why do we eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Reason: Eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional folk custom in my country, which expresses people's beautiful emotions.

Mooncakes are offerings to worship the moon god during the Mid-Autumn Festival in ancient times. Since then, the custom of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival has been formed. The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, so August 15th was also called the "Reunion Festival". Throughout the ages, people have often used the terms "full moon" and "waning moon" to describe "joys and sorrows", and wanderers living in foreign lands use the moon to express their deep feelings.

In ancient times. After worshiping the moon on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the elders of the family will cut the cake into pieces according to the number of people, one piece for each person. If someone is not at home, a piece will be left for them to express family reunion.

Extended information:

Mooncakes have a long history in our country. According to historical records, as early as the Yin and Zhou dynasties, there was a kind of "Taishi Cake" in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas with thin edges and thick heart in memory of Taishi Wen Zhong. This is the "ancestor" of Chinese mooncakes. When Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty was on his mission to the Western Regions, he introduced sesame seeds and walnuts to add auxiliary ingredients to the production of moon cakes. At this time, round cakes filled with walnut kernels appeared, called "Hu cakes".

In the Tang Dynasty, there were already private bakers engaged in production, and bakery shops began to appear in Chang'an, the capital. It is said that on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival one year, when Emperor Xuanzong and Concubine Yang were enjoying the moon and eating Hu cakes, Emperor Xuanzong thought the name "Hu cakes" was not nice. Concubine Yang looked up at the bright moon and blurted out "moon cakes". From then on, the name "moon cakes" became It gradually spread among the people.

In the Ming Dynasty, eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival gradually became popular among the people. Ingenious bakers at that time often printed mythological stories related to the moon, such as Chang'e flying to the moon, as patterns on moon cakes, making moon cakes a Mid-Autumn Festival favored by the people.

By the Qing Dynasty, the production technology of mooncakes had been greatly improved, and the varieties were also increasing. As people become more and more experienced in making mooncakes, there are endless types of mooncakes on the market, and the craftsmanship is becoming more and more exquisite.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Mooncakes (traditional Chinese snacks)

People's Daily Online - About the origins, legends and customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival: Why are mooncakes eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival