When did moon cakes actually originate?

Moon cakes were originally used to worship the moon god and have a long history. The word moon cake was first seen in Liang Lumeng by Wu in the Southern Song Dynasty. Later, people gradually regarded Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of family reunion, and mooncakes gradually became holiday gifts. Moon cakes originally originated from the food celebrated by the Tang army.

Offering sacrifices to the moon is a very old custom in China, which is actually the worship of the "Moon God" by the ancients. By 20021year, eating moon cakes and enjoying the moon are essential customs for Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. Mooncakes symbolize a happy reunion. People regard them as holiday food, use them to worship the moon and give them to relatives and friends.

Historical evolution of moon cakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient China, was popular in the Han Dynasty, shaped in the early Tang Dynasty, and prevailed after the Song Dynasty. Mid-Autumn Festival is a relic of the custom of worshipping the moon in ancient astronomical phenomena. At the autumnal equinox, it is an ancient festival to worship the moon. Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival. According to textual research, the original Mid-Autumn Festival was set at the autumnal equinox in the twenty-four solar terms of the Ganzhi calendar.

But because this day in August of the lunar calendar is different every year, there may not be a full moon. Later, the Mid-Autumn Festival moved from the autumnal equinox to the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Sacrificing to the moon is a very old custom in China. In fact, it is a ritual activity of the ancients in some places in ancient China to "Moon God".

Moon cakes are offerings to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. Since they were handed down, the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival has been formed. In ancient times, every Mid-Autumn Festival, people would put round fruits and vegetables symbolizing bumper harvest on incense tables, bow to the moon and pray for family peace and good luck. In ancient times, girls wanted Yue Bai, and prayed that Chang 'e, a fairy who lived in the Moon Palace, could bless herself, looking like a bright moon and as beautiful as a flower.

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, which was said to be the "ancestor" of China moon cakes.