Moon cakes are offerings to worship the moon god in the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival, and they have been handed down from time to time, forming the custom of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival. The ancients regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion, so August 15 was also called "Reunion Festival". Throughout the ages, people often use "full moon" and "lack of moon" to describe "joys and sorrows", and vagrants living in other places also rely on the moon to express their affection.
In ancient times. After the Mid-Autumn Festival in the evening, the elders at home will divide the cake into pieces according to the number of people, one for each person, and if someone is not at home, leave one for them to show family reunion.
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Moon cakes have a long history in China. According to historical records, as early as the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, there was a kind of "Taishi cake" to commemorate Taishi Wenzhong, the "ancestor" of China moon cakes. Zhang Qian introduced sesame seeds and walnuts to the Western Regions in Han Dynasty, which added auxiliary materials for making moon cakes. At this time, a round cake filled with walnuts appeared, which was called "Hu cake".
In the Tang Dynasty, people had bakers engaged in production, and pastry shops began to appear in Chang 'an, the capital. It is said that one Mid-Autumn Festival, when Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei enjoyed the moon and ate Hu Bing, Tang Xuanzong thought the name Hu Bing was not pleasant to listen to. Yang Guifei looked up at the bright moon and blurted out "moon cake". The name of "moon cake" gradually spread among the people.
In the Ming Dynasty, eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival gradually spread among the people. At that time, ingenious bakers often printed fairy tales about the moon, such as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, on moon cakes, making them popular among the people.
By the Qing Dynasty, the technology of making moon cakes had been greatly improved, and there were more and more varieties. With people's increasingly rich experience in making moon cakes, the types of moon cakes are constantly emerging in the market, and the technology is becoming more and more exquisite.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Mooncakes (China Traditional Snacks)
People's Network-About the origin, legends and customs of Mid-Autumn Festival: Why do you eat moon cakes in Mid-Autumn Festival?