The traditional Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival. This festivity may well be the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. The celebration’s origin is Chinese but today, the festivity is acknowledged if not totally celebrated by the rest of the world.

Nian Gao

For most Asians, the Chinese included, celebrating an occasion is all about food. New Year dinners are elaborate and it is marked as a reunion of some sort. At exactly before midnight at the threshold of the old and new year, a delicacy called nian gao (sticky rice) and jiao zi (a dumpling) are eaten by the family members to ensure financial gain in the New Year. These foods are eaten primarily because their Chinese names sound like “money”.

Food served during the Chinese New Year are, more often than not, are chosen not specifically because of their gastronomic qualities but also because their Chinese names are phonetically encouraging. Take the dish Hoe see fat choy – which when translated to English is hair seaweed with dried oyster. Pretty uninteresting isn’t it. However in the Chinese vernacular hoe see fat choy sounds like “wealth and good business”. The lotus roots are also served as its Chinese name lin ngau sounds like “abundance year after year”. Lettuce is also a staple during the festivities as its Chinese name sounds like “growing wealth” and a pig’s tongue is “profit”.

Fish (yu) is served during the Chinese New Year dinner as it means “having enough to spare”. The fish should be preferably carp as it symbolizes a very prosperous year ahead. The fish should be served whole and uncut from head to tail. The superstitions adhered to this is that if you cut the fish, your good fortune will likewise be cut. It is customary not to eat all the fish to ensure that the family will enjoy an excess of good will and fortune.

Noodles are served too during the Chinese New Year. The noodles are never cut to ensure longevity for those who are eating the food. Any vegetable dish will do as all green vegetables are the essence of stored wealth at the roots.

A platter with five dishes is seen on most homes as the five dishes of either all meat or all vegetables epitomizes the five blessings of the new year namely: riches, wisdom, longevity, peace and virtue. Fish balls (yu-wan) and meat balls (jou-wan) are symbols of togetherness. The dishes serves should be even in numbers to ensure “double happiness” to the family.

A chicken or duck dish is also a common dish at this time. Like the fish, fowls are served with uncut feet and head (web and beak included). It is an omen for the Chinese not to use any knife or cleaver when preparing for dishes during the Chinese New Year. This holds true for any ingredients that are to be used for the meal. If there are cuttings and slicing to be made, one can do so before the festivity.