Chongyang Cake

Chongyang Cake (重阳糕) is a kind of traditional cake eaten on the Chongyang Festival. It is mainly made up of rice flour, pulse flour and decorated with jujube, chestnut and almond with baked and steamed sugar. Cakes (糕) sounds like height (高), so people regard it as luck.^[1]

History

1. It began to be popular in Tang Dynasty.
2. In Song Dynasty, Chongyang Cakes are popular in Bianjing (Today is called Kaifeng), Linan (Today is called Zhejiang Hangzhou) and some other places.
3. It remains popular now.^[2]

Legends

1. Before Liu Yu became an Emperor, He had Chongyang Festival in Pengcheng. He was happy that day, so he climbed on the Xiang Yu's play station. When he became the Emperor, he made a law that people could ride, shoot and review the troops on September 9 every year. The Chongyang cakes were given out to the soldiers.
2. Kang Hai (the Zhuangyuan of Ming Dynasty) was from Shanxi and he attended the exam in August. However, he was ill in Changan. He hadn't reached home when someone told the announcement of the results. No one gave the money to the man who brought the announcement, so he was unwilling to leave. When Kang Hai was fine, it had been Chongyang Festival. Then Kang Hai gave the money and some extra cakes to the man. Because the cakes are used to celebrate his success, later on, the family who had children going to school would give out cakes to neighborhood. Then the custom that people eat Chongyang cakes has spreaded.^[3]

References

1. ^ "重阳节的风俗习惯-吃重阳糕(The customs of Chongyang Festival-eating Chongyang cakes)". http://wap.jrcn.org/wapbencandy.php?fid=297&id=71. 
2. ^ "重阳糕的历史(The history of Chongyang cakes)". http://www.chinaname.cn/gleaning/gleaning-jieri-092.htm. 
3. ^ "重阳糕的传说 (The legends of Chongyang cakes)". http://www.cctv.com/folklore/special/C11025/20030929/101215.shtml. 

External links

1. Chongyang Cakes "重阳糕 (Chongyang cakes)". http://www.foreignercn.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=363:chongyang-cake&catid=41:chinese-cuisine&Itemid=113. 
2. Say something about Chongyang Cakes"说说重阳糕 (say something about Chongyang cakes)". http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2011-10/05/content_1493550.htm.