CHINESE NEW YEAR TRADITION FOOD

Many Chinese families will have reunion diner togather at the restourants.Chinese New Year is also referred to as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Whatever name you call it you can be sure it is great time of rejoicing. The Reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year is always the highlight of the celebration. It is a Chinese New Year tradition where family members gather together for dinner. Even those who are overseas will make an effort to be home for this Reunion dinner.

The reunion dinner is a feast with pork, chicken, duck, fish and seafood cooked in a variety of ways depending on which region the family came from originally. The Cantonese will feature a black hair-like algae called "fat choy" since its name sounds similar to "prosperity".

Families continue to hold this Chinese New Year tradition except these days more and more families are opting to hold this dinner at the local restaurant or hotel. Major hotels in the city have special buffets or many courses feasts. Bookings are often made early to avoid disappointments. "Yee Sang" or "Lo Hei" in Cantonese is a raw fish salad which is a special dish served only during Chinese New Year. The serving of this dish is a Chinese New Year tradition among the ethnic Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia. The dish consists of strips of raw fish, often salmon mixed with shredded vegetables like radish, carrots, red peppers, turnips, red pickled ginger with a variety of sauces.

The dish is usually served as the appetizer with everyone at the table joining in to toss and mix all the ingredients with their chopsticks. This is a symbol prosperity and good luck and is a Chinese New year tradition faithfully kept by those who are involved in business.

Another traditional food item is the sticky cake or "Nien Gao" . " Nien" means year and "Gao" means high and the sticky cake symbolizes increase of success and prosperity. It can be eaten steamed or fried in a batter sandwiched between yam slices.

As with any celebration, Chinese New Year have their own special delicacies. At the top of the list is of course Mandarin oranges. In case you haven't seen a Chinese New Year at close quarters, folks buy these oranges by the crates.

These mandarin oranges are easily peeled by hand and are in abundance during Chinese New Year as they symbolize abundance and good fortune. Most of the supply is imported from China. The mandarin oranges are given as gifts to friends and family. Business people also like to present a box of these oranges to their clients.

“ Lucky" Chinese New Year symbols are an important part of celebrating the Spring Festival. Afterall, it is the start of spring -- a perfect time to have your New Year wishes come true! And what better way to usher in happiness, prosperity and health than to enjoy "auspicious food" with family and friends?

Here are the Top 8 auspicious food symbols for Chinese New Year.
These delicious dishes are served during the reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's eve with family members.

Top 8 Auspicious Food Symbols for Chinese New Year


1. Hot Pot


A steaming hot pot (or chinese fondue) with meat, seafood and vegetables is a must.
Huo3 in hot pot huo3 guo3 火锅 is the same word as huo3 in hong2 huo3 红火 “prosperous and booming”.


2. Fish

Another must-have dish if you want to experience abundance in the new year. Fish yu2 鱼 is the most popular dish served during Chinese New Year. In Chinese fish has the same sound as “surplus” and “abundance” 余. A whole fish is served on Chinese New Year’s eve for the reunion dinner. Usually the fish is steamed.
It is a good omen to leave the bones and head and tail intact. This symbolizes surplus/abundance and a good beginning and end in the new year. Best served whole.


3. Shrimp


Shrimp xia1 虾 in Mandarin and ha in Cantonese sounds like someone laughing. Eat shrimp for happiness and well-being.


4. Boiled dumplings


A Chinese New Year tradition is eating boiled dumplings. These are shaped like gold ingots. Dumplings jiao3 zi 饺子 sounds like jiao1 zi3 交子which means the hour of transition into the New Year.


Hence, in northern China, dumplings filled with meat are eaten on Chinese New Year’s eve to usher in good luck and wealth in the New Year. Sometimes a coin is placed in one of the dumplings. Whoever bites on it will have plenty of wealth in the new year.


When dumplings and yellow noodles are cooked together they mean “golden threads through gold ingots”.


In the eastern cities of China, like Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, egg dumplings are eaten as they look like gold ingots.  
5. Oyster

Hao2 sounds like hao3 shi4 好事 which means “good things”. In southern China, it is served with thin rice noodles.


6. Green vegetables


For close family ties, serve some greens.
Qing1 cai4 青菜 sounds like qing1 亲 as in qin1 re 亲热 mea ning “close/intimate"  

7. Sticky rice cake


Nian2 gao1 年糕.
Nian2 means year and cake gao1 sounds the same as high gao1 高.
hai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, egg dumplings are eaten as they look like gold ingots.


So eating this steamed cake made of rice flour and topped with red dates has the meaning of attaining greater prosperity and rank in the new year.


8. Noodles


Known as chang2 shou4 mian4 长寿面 meaning "longevity noodles".
A wish for good fortune -- Good Luck, Prosperity, Longevity, Happiness and Abundance -- is central to the Chinese way of life.

An important Chinese New year tradition is the "hong pao". Chinese New Year would not be complete without the red envelope of money the Chinese call "ang pow" or "hong pao". The red color symbolize good luck. The red packet is presented by those who are married to children and to those who are still single. It is given not only to family but also friends' children when they visit.