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Food
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Thursday, 08 February 2007 |
 Chinese New Year is an important family day and an excellent reason for Chinese people to meet and eat vast quantities of food. The menus for these meals vary from region to region, and they can change if you are in China, Singapore, or Malaysia. However most of the dishes served during Chinese New Year have symbolic meaning to bring fortune for the coming New Year.
Many dishes are chosen based on homonyms which are words that either are spelled the same or sound the same as other words. Fish for example plays a large role in festive celebrations.
The word for fish, "Yu," sounds like the words both for wish and abundance. This means that on New Year's Eve fish is served at the end of the evening meal, symbolizing a wish for abundance in the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and ending for the coming year.
Tangerines and oranges are given and eaten during Chinese New Year as their Chinese names sound like luck and wealth. Pomelos. also signifies abundance, as the Chinese word for pomelo sounds like the word for "to have."
Hoe see fat choy, hair seaweed with dried oysters sounds similar to "wealth and good business," lotus roots mean yearly abundance, while turnips are often eaten because their name also means "good luck." In Hong Kong and Southern China, the Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like rising fortune, so it is very common to serve a lettuce wrap filled with other lucky food.
 In Chinese culture, chicken forms part of the symbolism of the dragon and phoenix. At a Chinese wedding, chicken's feet are often served with dragon foods such as lobster. Chicken is also popular at Chinese New Year, symbolizing a good marriage and the coming together of families where serving the bird whole emphasizes family unity.
Food has also come to symbolise different things through the way in which it looks. Noodles represent a long life and it is considered bad luck cut them. Both clams and spring rolls represent prosperity; clams because of their resemblance to bouillon, and Spring Rolls because their shape is similar to gold bars.
In northern China, people usually eat dumplings because the shape of dumplings resembles the Chinese gold ingots used in ancient China. Another saying is that the pronunciation of Jiao zi, is similar with the first Chinese paper currency.
In many homes, a serving dish of either five meat or five vegetable dishes is eaten. Whether meat or vegetable dishes are included, this dish is called "the five blessings of the new year," which are longevity, riches, peace, wisdom and virtue.
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