What dishes should be eaten on New Year's Eve? What are the taboos for eating on New Year's Eve?

The Spring Festival, commonly known as the New Year's Festival, is the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation. It begins on the first day of the first lunar month and has continued to this day. During this period, there are many customs that everyone needs to understand. So what dishes should we eat on New Year’s Eve that have good meaning? What are the taboos for eating on New Year’s Eve? Next...

What dishes to eat on New Year's Eve have good meanings

1. Dumplings

Dumplings are an indispensable delicacy during every festival. Eating dumplings represents joy and reunion. In addition, the shape of dumplings is similar to ingots, so eating dumplings on New Year’s Eve also means "bringing in wealth and treasure."

2. Sweet and Sour Fish

Sweet and sour fish has the meaning of a fish leaping over the dragon gate: sweet and sour fish requires “head raised and tail lifted”, which has the momentum of a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Basically, large yellow croaker is used, which is cut into peony-shaped pieces, coated with batter and fried, and then drizzled with sour and sweet sauce.

3. Rice Cake

Eating rice cake on New Year’s Eve means “getting higher every year” and “each year is better than the last”. Rice cake is an indispensable New Year’s cake during the Chinese New Year. Eating rice cake represents good luck. In addition, “nian” means the same as “sticky”, so it can also be understood as sticking the New Year and reunion together.

4. Chicken stew with mushrooms

Chicken stewed with mushrooms is a very auspicious dish. Chicken and fish are both must-have dishes during the Chinese New Year, and this is the case every year. The dish of chicken stewed with mushrooms is a must-have on the New Year’s Eve dinner table. If you can't buy a suitable farm chicken, you can use cola chicken wings or braised chicken wings instead.

5. Sautéed shrimp with lily and cashews

Stir-fried shrimp with lily and cashew nuts symbolizes harmony and beauty. As a vegetarian dish for the New Year’s Eve dinner, it must also be paired in a unique way. Lily itself has a beautiful meaning, and this dish is a wish for the whole family to be happy and harmonious every year.

Taboos on eating on New Year's Eve

1. Say "I got it" when you are full

When elders give younger generations more rice and dishes, if the younger generation is full and does not want more, they cannot say “no” but should say “I have more”; if they have finished some tea and snacks, they should say “I am very satisfied” or “It’s too much” but cannot just say “there is no more”. These auspicious words can be regarded as "New Year's Eve homework". Adults should teach children to say them in order to bring happiness and good luck.

2. Don’t rush to visit someone during mealtime

It is said that in ancient my country, before eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, people had to prepare offerings to worship their ancestors. Before inviting the ancestral spirits, all family members and belongings must be present. During the grand ancestral worship, one must not shout out the names of children, lest the homeless ghosts outside the gate hear it and cause the child to die. During a formal meal, it is taboo to have people visiting, because this is called "stepping on the New Year's dinner", which will make the whole family restless.

3. Do not say disrespectful words

New Year's Eve is also called "Auspicious Night". On this night, both adults and children must say auspicious words and are not allowed to use dirty or disrespectful words. They should avoid swearing, yelling, or children crying. According to legend, such an attitude is disrespectful to the gods and the person involved may have bad luck for the whole year.

4. Avoid not giving red envelopes

Adults should distribute red envelopes to children and grandchildren in the family. Adults refer to married men and women.