why do people eat rice cakes on chinese new years mandarin orange during chinese new year

Nian gao, also niangao (年糕 /nyen-gao/ 'year cake'), is a sweet rice cake made of glutinous rice flour and sugar with an auspicious meaning. It is a popular dessert eaten during Chinese New Year. Find out its meaning, legends, types, and recipe here. Nian Gao's Meaning: Why Chinese Eat Nian Gao. Niangao is 年糕 in Chinese. The character Sweet nian gao sticky cakes take many forms, but all are typically made from glutinous rice flour. Photo: Luna Wang / Unsplash Eating Nian Gao always means a happy and lucky next year. Chinese New Year cake- Niao Gao Symbols and Meaning of Lunar New Year Cake. Chinese Lunar New Year cake symbolizes a better life, wealth, and good luck in the coming year. For old people, Nian Gao expresses the wish for longevity. For young people, it expresses the wish for promotion and 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. Nian gao, (Chinese: 年糕; pinyin: nián'gāo) Sticky (Rice) cake, Chinese new year's cake. It is considered good luck to eat nian gao because it has the symbolism of increasing prosperity every year. The New Year greeting 'Nian Nian Gao Sheng' (年年高升 niánnián gāoshēng) is to wish people "advance toward higher positions and While the citizens were in hiding, they found preserved sweet, sticky rice cakes to eat underneath walls built by General Wu Zixu. A third legend says that the "Kitchen God" makes yearly reports to the Jade Emperor regarding the quality of people's homes. In order to prevent a poor report, the rice cakes are prepared as an offering. To ward off the beast, they would stick cooked rice together and place it outside their homes as an offering. This eventually evolved into the tradition of making and eating Nian Gao. Why do Chinese Eat Nian Gao? Chinese people eat Nian Gao, or Chinese New Year Cake, for various reasons associated with tradition, symbolism, and cultural beliefs. Why Do Chinese People Eat Nian Gao? The tradition of eating Nian Gao to celebrate the Chinese new year dates back centuries in China. According to folklore, eating Nian Gao was believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year—hence why it’s become so popular during the Lunar New Year celebrations. This Chinese new year cake is a sweet rice cake that is traditionally eaten during the lunar new year celebrations. Nian gao is directly translated to sticky cake, "nian" meaning sticky and "gao" meaning cake. Every family will buy this treat to celebrate the lunar new year, and it's also a very popular gift when visiting friends and family The Chinese New Year cake is said to bring good luck when eaten hence is an important part of the New Year’s celebration in China. This post will focus on the Chinese New Year’s cake. To understand its meaning and role in the festivities, we will cover its meaning, why it is eaten, how, and the different types. On the 15th of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Lantern Festival, many people will eat filled rice balls, known as tang yuan in the south and yuan xiao in the north. These small, chewy spheres of rice dough are often a sweet treat filled with sweet red bean or sesame, but can also be savory with a meat filling. Nian gao (Chinese: 年糕; pinyin: niángāo; Jyutping: nin4 gou1), sometimes translated as year cake [1] [2] or New Year cake [1] [3] [4] or Chinese New Year's cake, is a food prepared from glutinous rice flour and consumed in Chinese cuisine. It is also simply known as "rice cake". [3] Turnip cake, a traditional Chinese radish cake with soy sauce on the side, served during Lunar New Year. Photo: Getty Images But how it came to be associated with Lunar New Year is unclear. With a history of more than 1,800 years, jiaozi, or Chinese dumplings, are traditionally made and eaten on Chinese New Year’s Eve, especially in the northern provinces of China. The dumplings, often shaped to look like boat-shaped silver ingots, an ancient Chinese currency, are symbolic of prosperity and wealth due to their auspicious shape. Nian Gao Recipe Instructions. Prepare two 8-inch round baking pans by brushing the insides with vegetable oil.. Add 2 cups of water and the ginger to a medium-sized pot, bring it a boil, then let it simmer for 10 minutes over low to medium heat with the lid covered. This is a dish I grew up eating year-round, but rice cakes are extra special for Lunar New Year because the Chinese words for it, "nian gao", sounds like "better or higher every year." 4.86 from 7 votes Nian Gao (Chinese New Year Sticky Rice Cake) Nian gao is perhaps the most popular and well-loved dessert associated with Chinese New Year. I can never say no to this sweet and sticky rice cake! Legend says that families would offer the cake to the Chinese Kitchen God in the hope that he’ll put in a good word for them when he goes back to heaven. There are many reasons to eat rice cake soup in the new year. First of all, it means to pray for longevity by eating long white rice cakes and to spend bright year. In addition, the sliced rice cake is similar to a coin look, so it is filled with the hope that goods will be abundant for one year. Niangao, or sticky rice cake, is a traditional Chinese New Year food that is believed to bring good luck and prosperity. The word niangao sounds like the Chinese word for “higher year,” signifying a wish for progress and growth in the coming year.

why do people eat rice cakes on chinese new years mandarin orange during chinese new year
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