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A full serving of delicious Chinese food, with a sizzling side of symbolism By Lindsay Parrill Published February 15, 2023 Save and one of our favorite Chinese New Year food traditions. Fish The auspicious symbolism of these traditional Chinese New Year foods is based on their pronunciations or appearance. Not only do the dishes themselves matter, but also the preparation, and ways of serving and eating mean a lot. The most common Chinese New Year foods include dumplings, fish, spring rolls, and niangao. We've rounded up 12 Chinese New Year is steeped in traditions and symbolism, with various foods believed to bring good luck and fortune for the year ahead. Fish is a must-have dish, symbolising surplus and abundance. Dumplings (jiaozi) are widely consumed during this time, representing prosperity and wealth due to their resemblance to ancient Chinese money. The Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is the most important festival in China: it lasts up to two weeks. Food plays a big part in this family gathering holiday period. The festive and different kinds of food people eat during this special period are meant to bring families together and symbolize a great new year. The next stop on our little Chinese New Year food and meaning tour is fish. In Chinese, the word for ‘fish’ (yú) is in the word for ‘surplus’ (shèngyú) . This has led to fish symbolizing abundance and hope for surplus in Chinese culture and makes fish dishes the perfect candidates for Spring Festival celebrations. For over 2,000 years, Chinese culture has infused food with deeper meaning, believing that a hearty, well-chosen meal can invite blessings and prosperity into your life. Learn the story about each dish and how it represents values like wealth, happiness, and longevity. Food Symbolism ___ Food Symbolism during Chinese New Year Celebrations Chinese like playing with words and symbols. Often homonyms (words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings) are gladly used. Names of dishes and/or their ingrediets which will be served sound similar to words and phrases refering to wishes expressed 1. Steamed whole fish. Fish is a homonym for abundance. It symbolizes the Chinese idiom "May you always have more than you need." When served with the head and tail intact, the fish carries an additional meaning: a positive beginning and end for the coming year. In Lunar New Year traditions, revelers believe tangerines, oranges and pomelos bring good fortune. Their Mandarin names echo words with symbolic meanings: "jú" for oranges suggests "good luck" or Chinese people eat foods with the symbols of good luck, prosperity, and happiness during the Chinese New Year. The lunar New Year 2025 is coming, try these traditional dishes with auspicious meanings and have good fortune in the new year. 1. Fish - Fortune and Abundance bhofack2 / Getty Images. The Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like "rising fortune," so it's common to serve lettuce wraps filled with other lucky ingredients. TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chinese New Year (CNY) is a time of joy, family reunions, and traditions. One of the most exciting aspects of the celebration is the abundance of festive snacks. But, these munchies are more than just tasty, seasonal treats; each of them carries a symbolism for luck, prosperity Dumplings, an intrinsic part of Chinese New Year festivities, embody a profound symbolism of wealth and good fortune. Shaped like ancient Chinese silver and gold ingots, they represent the promise of prosperity. Traditional Chinese New Year dishes include lobster and chicken to represent the dragon and phoenix (good marriage). Photo: flickr/megahammond For Chinese New Year, families celebrate for fifteen days to bring good luck, long life, and prosperity into their homes. One of the most important and best parts of the celebration is the food. The Green is a color associated with wealth and currency, so leafy greens like lettuce, spinach and bok choy are often served as a Chinese New Year food. During Chinese New Year, these foods are often included in stir fry, soups, spring rolls and salads. The hope is some of that promised prosperity will manifest in your new year. 6. Dumplings 5. 年花 (New Year Flowers) Symbolism: New Year flowers such as 桃花 (peach blossoms), 富贵竹 (lucky bamboo), and 桔子树 (tangerine trees) represent growth, prosperity, and good luck. Each flower carries its own specific auspicious meaning. Application: These flowers are used to decorate homes and offices during Chinese New Year. For And of course, a lot of care and thought is put into the menu for the most important holiday of the year. As with Chinese New Year activities and decorations, the dishes are created to give blessings for the next year. Both the names and looks are symbols of wishes for prosperity, happiness and auspiciousness. During this time, you will see Chinese New Year symbols in everything from the decorations displayed to the lucky foods eaten during this time. Also called the Spring Festival, this celebration welcomes in the new year. The symbols of Chinese New Year help to encourage prosperity, luck, abundance and good fortune for the coming year. Fish is a must on the table of every chinese family during CNY. Usually a whole fish is served. Fish symbolises abundance or surplus for the year because “fish” and “surplus” are both pronounced yu, and the unfinished fish is thus a good portent referring to the expression "nian nian you yu" or surplus for every year. Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) is the most important traditional festival in China, when Chinese people especially emphasize wishes for happiness and blessing. So New Year foods usually symbolize good luck and best wishes.
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