The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival. The first lunar month is called Yuan-month in China，and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. Meanwhile，the 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuanxiao Festival in China. According to the Chinese tradition，at the very beginning of a new year，when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky，there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time，people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.
Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns，another important part of the Lantern Festival，is eating small dumpling （面团）balls made of glutinous rice flour（糯米粉）. We call these balls Yuanxiao of Tangyuan. Obviously，they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century，then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.
The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuanxiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar，walnuts （胡桃），sesame （芝麻），osmanthus flowers（桂花），rose petals，sweetened tangerine peel（甜橙皮），bean paste（豆沙），or jujube paste（枣泥）. A single ingredient（成分）or any combination can be used as the filling. The salty variety is filled with minced（切碎的）meat，vegetables or a mixture.
The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough（生面团）of rice flour into balls，make a hole，insert the filling，then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China，sweet or non-meat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores，dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer（层）of the flour sticks to the filling，which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes，like rolling a snowball，until the dumpling is the desired size.
The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers