For the Chinese, the spring festival is the most important festival of the year. Family members get together to set off the old year and welcome the new year. All kinds of delicious food will be shown at this time, of course including lucky foods with good meanings. Although the customs and foods are not the same in different places, they all entrust good hopes for the new year.
The northerners eat dumplings on New Year’s Eve and they must be eaten at 12 o’clock in the middle of the night to take the meaning of “Geng Sui Jiao Zi” which means the time has reached 12 o’clock and transitioned from the old year to the new year. In the Chinese language, the pronunciation of dumplings is similar to Jiao Zi. Also the shape of dumplings is like ingots-ancient money, symboling more wealth in the new year.
The vegetables of the dumpling fillings also have meaning:
Celery: represents working hard to get money
Leek: represents long-term wealth
Chinese cabbage: represents a hundred kinds of wealth
2. A whole fish
A whole fish is a must on the dinner table. Northerners like fish braised in brown sauce and southerners love fish steamed.
The pronunciation of the word ”fish” in Chinese is the same as the word” surplus” which means there are leftovers every year.
3. Spring rolls
The spring festival is the beginning of the year, and also the starting of the spring. The custom is to eat spring rolls which means auspicious on this day.
4. Rice cakes
The prounciation is Niao Gao in Chinese means social status or position is getting higher every year.
5. Pork trotters
Stewed pork trotters are indispensable for Southerners. It means there will be money in hand.
6. Chicken
The pronunciation of chicken in Chinese is like”auspicious” in English. It means good luck will be with you in the coming year.
7. Steamed sponge cake
To eat steamed sponge cake is the custom of Cantonese, which means getting rich and rising.
8. Glutinous rice balls(Tang Yuan)
The glutinous rice balls are round shape represents family reunion.
9. Deep-fried glutinous ball(Jian Dui)
The deep-fried glutinous balls with white sesame represent money filling the house.
10. Noodles
The seventh day of the first lunar month is Person’s Day in tradition when people eat noodles. The custom of eating noodles is to get longevity meaning.