Looking for a promotion, hoping to hit the lottery or just looking for some luck? It's all about what you eat. Bring in the New Year with these auspicious foods.
Dumplings: To bring wealth
Dumplings are a wealth-bringing food staple for CNY meals, particularly on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Rumour tells that the more dumplings you eat during the holiday, the more wealth you'll acquire throughout the year. So eat them carbs.
A whole fish: For abundance
No reunion dinner is complete without a whole fish. The Chinese word for fish (鱼 yú) sounds similar to the word for abundance (余 yú), thus eating fish at the change of the year symbolises wealth and abundance for the future. Say the phrase niánnián yǒu yú (年年有余) to wish your family and friends years of prosperity and abundance in wealth and good fortune. Hot tip: face the fish's head toward the elders at the table as a sign of respect.
Longevity noodles: To promote long life
The longer the noodles, the longer your life. Don't cut or break them while you're cooking – that's bad luck. As superstition tells, it could lead to a life cut short.
Glutinous rice cake: For getting high(er)
Glutinous rice cake, better known as niángāo (年糕, New Year's cake), is meant to help you move higher up in life, whether that's in your work position or in general life.
Tangyuan: For reuniting family
The words for these sweet glutinous rice balls, tāngyuán (团圆), sounds a lot like tuányuán (团圆), or reunion, and are appropriate bites for when family gathers together to survive an entire CNY week together.
Spring rolls: To bring prosperity
‘Spring’ rolls get their Chinese name, chūnjuǎn (春卷), from the tradition of eating them during chūnjié (春节) – Spring Festival. Like many CNY foods, their golden colour is symbolic of prosperity.
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