What kind of food did the ancients call dumplings?

The "floating dumplings" mentioned by the ancients refers to jiaozi, and some places are also called Yuanxiao. It floats when cooked, so it's called floating dumplings. It is mainly eaten on the Lantern Festival, so it is called Yuanxiao. Some people say that those with stuffing are called Yuanxiao, and those without stuffing are called solid glutinous rice balls.

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China. In Hubei, there is a saying that Chinese New Year is not as important as Lantern Festival. Lantern Festival also marks the end of the Spring Festival. There are many customs of the Lantern Festival. You should be familiar with activities such as watching lanterns, solve riddles on the lanterns, eating Yuanxiao and visiting temple fairs.

In addition, the ancient folk custom is to greet Ce Shen Zigu on the 15th day of the first month, and Zigu divines and raises silkworms, which accounts for a lot of things. Legend has it that Li Jing's concubine was jealous of her first wife and was killed in the toilet on the fifteenth day of the first month, becoming Ce Shen.

The earliest record of Lantern Festival can be found in the Song Dynasty:

At that time, Yuanxiao was called floating dumplings, dumplings, lactose dumplings and sugar dumplings. According to historical records such as Pingyuan Xu, Guangji Four Years Old and Ode to Daming, Yuanxiao, as a timely food to celebrate Shangyuan, began in the Song Dynasty.

As time goes by, there are more and more activities for the Lantern Festival. In many places, traditional folk performances, such as playing with dragon lanterns, playing with lions, walking on stilts, boating, yangko dancing and playing Taiping drums, were added during the festival. This China traditional festival, which has been passed down for more than 2,000 years, is not only popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also celebrated every year in areas where overseas Chinese live in concentrated communities.