Glutinous rice cake (年糕 Niángāo /nyen-gaoww/) is a lucky food eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve. In Chinese, glutinous rice cake sounds like it means "getting higher year-on- by year". In Chinese people's minds, this means the higher you are the more prosperous your business is a general improvement in life. The act of sharing and enjoying these delectable pockets during the New Year celebrations becomes a communal tradition that extends beyond culinary delight, fostering a sense of togetherness and the belief in the prosperous journey that lies ahead. 20. Niangao (Chinese New Year Cake) Dumplings Caitriana Nicholson/Flickr. Resembling coin purses, dumplings are said to bring wealth and prosperity in Chinese culture. Traditionally filled with a mixture of meat, tofu, egg, and/or Some areas in Fujian have the custom of eating noodles for the Chinese New Year. Noodles, known as the meaning of longevity, eat it in the new year symbolize every good thing can be lasting as long as possible. Soybean sprout (黄豆芽 / 黃豆芽) The people of Suzhou gave it a good name, called “Ruyi dish”. “Ruyi” in Chinese means Traditional Chinese New Year food can help you put some luck in your corner as you welcome 2025’s Year of the Snake. Enjoy! 12 Lucky Foods to Eat for Chinese New Year 2025. ASIAVISION/GETTY Also called Spring Festival in most of mainland China, Lunar New Year begins on the night of the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar, which is a bit shorter than the 365-day solar year. The 16-day festival season is celebrated with lots of traditional Chinese New Year foods that are prepared, served and eaten in symbolic ways. Chinese New Year is all about gathering with family and friends to welcome the new year, which falls on January 29 this year! For 15 days, we will gather with our loved ones and share delicious meals. Chinese New Year food is literally a feast of sorts, like turnip cakes and CNY puddings; and these foods are eaten for auspicious reasons. Food is one of the things that the Chinese take the most pride in. 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. Traditionally “Lucky” Chinese New Year Foods According to Superstition. If we were to speak in broad strokes about the kinds of food that is served on Chinese New Year, there are some dishes that are considered universal symbols of prosperity, fortune, and all that good stuff we wish for in the New Year. 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 The Connection to Chinese Culture. In Chinese culture, food plays a significant role in celebrations and has symbolic meanings. Chinese New Year is a time to gather with loved ones and indulge in a festive meal, with each dish carefully chosen to represent good fortune, longevity, and happiness. Across the globe, many cultures have devised ways to usher in the new year, usually with much pomp, joy, and enthusiasm. In China, the festivities last for 15 days, a week of which is a public So eating mud carp symbolizes a good relationship and fortune. The Chinese for “catfish” sounds like the word meaning “year plus”. So eating catfish is a wish for a surplus in the new year. Chinese people eat one fish on New Year’s Eve and one on New Year’s Day to symbolize a surplus year after year. Poon choi that includes premium ingredients such as whole abalone and sea cucumbers (© ThamKC via Canva). Poon choi is a Chinese New Year dish that represents unity, gathering, abundance and wealth. Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year marks the start of a new year according to the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In 2025, the celebrations begin on Wednesday, January 29th. Many of the dishes enjoyed during this time are deeply symbolic, representing good luck, happiness, prosperity, and more. Let’s explore some of these foods. Traditionally “Lucky” Chinese New Year Foods According to Superstition. If we were to speak in broad strokes about the kinds of food that is served on Chinese New Year, there are some dishes that are considered universal symbols of prosperity, fortune, and all that good stuff we wish for in the New Year. In many parts of China, tang yuan are eaten at the start of the Lantern Festival, marking the end of the Chinese New Year period, but in Shanghai and the south, they're eaten throughout the New Year festivities. The glutinous rice balls might be plain and the size of a small marble, or larger and stuffed with sweet black sesame paste. With a history of 1,800 years, it is not only a staple food of people in Northern China, but also an essential dish in various festivals, especially in Chinese New Year. Dumplings are often eaten on the New Year’s Eve for its Chinese name ‘jiaozi’ has a meaning of changing of years. Flavor: salty Slither into the Year of the Snake as you set up for Lunar New Year 2025, which runs this year from January 29 to February 8. Widely celebrated by Asian communities in China, East Asia, and around Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a new year based on lunar or lunisolar calendars. It is often referred to as Chinese New Year, especially in China, where it is a major cultural celebration.
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