What festival is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and what to eat has become a custom passed down from generation to generation.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, and eating glutinous rice balls (also called Yuanxiao) has become the custom of several generations.

The origin of Lantern Festival:

The origin of Lantern Festival is very ancient, which originated from ancient people using torches to exorcise evil spirits during festivals. This festival is a sacrifice to God. Because it was held at night, it was natural to light a fire, and later it gradually evolved into the Lantern Festival.

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which existed in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.

Lantern Festival began in the period of Emperor Han Ming in the East. Because Emperor Han Ming advocated Buddhism, it coincided with Cai Cheng's conversion from India to Buddhism. Cai Cheng said that on the fifteenth day of the first month in India, monks gathered together to worship the Buddhist relics, which is an auspicious day to participate in Buddhism. Cai Cheng said that on the fifteenth day of the first month in India, monks gathered to worship the Buddhist relics, which was an auspicious day to participate in Buddhism.

In order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Hanming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in palaces and temples on the fifteenth night of the first month. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the 15th night of the first month has gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

Since then, this Buddhist ceremonial festival has gradually expanded into a grand folk festival. The festival has experienced a development process from the court to the people, and from the Central Plains to the whole country.