By: iTopTopics Staff
Nian gao cakes photo by Juliana Phang,
There are many dishes signifying a different meaning or belief to each culture, each family. Here are just a few popular food items for the Lunar New Year festivities which Chinese or people who celebrate Lunar New Year believe to be lucky for the new year.
The word “fish” in Chinese (Yu) sounds like the word “surplus” therefore at the first meal to start a Lunar New Year, a dish with fish is chosen as a must-have course. What kind of fish and how to prepare, how to eat the fish are also important.
Dumplings symbolize wealth. Most Chinese believe that the more dumplings you consume on the first day of Lunar New Year, the more money you make during that year. So eat up those delicious juicy dumplings and be prosperous all year round!
Glutinous rice cakes are also a popular item on the menu for Lunar New Year dining. The word for cake, gao, sounds like a term meaning “exalted” or “lofty,” and when preceded by the word for year (nian), is homophonous with a term that means to advance in an upwardly fashion, climbing up the ladder in society and workplace. In China, there is “Nian gao” sticky rice cake. While in Vietnam, there is “banh chung” or “banh tet”, also a savory sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves which symbolizes the pride in their heritage, their ancestors.
The celebration of Lunar New Year carries many superstitious beliefs and for those who celebrate this festivity, there are things to do and things to avoid during the very first day of the New Year to ensure a good start of a year filled with luck, health, wealth and happiness.
Here is the list of a few taboos you should try to steer away from:
Happy Year of the Rooster! Wishing you and your family a year full of health, prosperity and happiness!