Why can’t you eat cakes in the first month of the year? Revealing the cultural logic behind traditional customs
As the beginning of the Lunar New Year, there are unique dietary taboos in various places, and "You can't eat cakes in the first month" is one of them. Although this custom is not universal across the country, it is widely circulated in North China and some parts of Northeast China. This article will combine the hot discussions on the entire network for the past 10 days to analyze the origin of this taboo from multiple perspectives such as folklore, linguistics and nutrition, and attach relevant data for readers' reference.
1. Statistics of hot topics across the network (next to 10 days)
| platform | Related topics | Top rankings for hot searches | Core dispute points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 286,000 | Top12 | Regional differences/scientific basis | |
| Tik Tok | 120 million views | Top 5 Life List | Fancy cake food challenge |
| Zhihu | 437 Discussions | Hot posts in the cultural sector | Linguistics |
| B station | 630,000 views | Knowledge area recommendation | A comparative study of folk customs |
2. Folklore Perspective: Deep Logic of Homophonic Taboos
1.The dialect of "cake" and "disease" are homophonic: In the Jin-speaking area (Shanxi and some areas of Inner Mongolia), "cake" and "disease" are pronounced similarly, and the homophonic sound of avoiding taboos in the first month is unlucky. This language taboo is the same as "not shave your head in the first month" (thinking about the old age → dead uncle).
2.Extension of sacrificial culture: In ancient times, round pasta (such as dumplings) was mostly used for worshiping ancestors in the first lunar month. Flat cakes were considered "fortune". Some areas in Shandong have retained the saying "the first lunar month cakes overcome the spring air" so far.
3. Nutritional data: Modern verification of traditional wisdom
| food | Calories (kcal/100g) | Digestion time (h) | Recommendations for consumption in the first month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dead noodles cake | 265 | 3-4 | Unfavorable digestion |
| Bakery cake | 233 | 2-3 | Eat in moderation |
| rice cake | 156 | 4-5 | Traditional alternatives |
4. Comparison of regional differences
The survey shows that there is obvious regional differentiation of the taboo: 83% of respondents in Handan, Hebei know this custom, while only 7% of people in Nanjing, Jiangsu. The Chaoshan area of Guangdong Province has the reverse custom of "eating sweet cakes in the first lunar month to show good harvest", which confirms the folk characteristics of "different styles of ten miles".
5. Inheritance and adaptation of modern society
1.Healthy and improved version of cakes: Nutritionists recommend that traditional oil cakes be replaced with buckwheat cakes (reduced blood sugar production index by 40%)
2.New phenomenon of cultural deconstruction: Young people have emerged to "break the taboos and check in", and there are 43,000 videos under the TikTok #官网新网月动视频官网彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩�
Conclusion:Dietary taboos in the first lunar month are living fossils of agricultural civilization. In today's material rich, we must understand the cultural code behind "not eating cakes", and we must not be too restrictive. As the folklorist Feng Jicai said: "The vitality of tradition lies in being too new."
check the details
check the details
en
