Dumplings
Dumplings are an indispensable food on the New Year's Eve dinner table in the north. Dumplings and Jiao are homophonic, which means "Gengsui Jiaozi". In addition, dumplings are shaped like ingots. Eating dumplings during the Spring Festival means "bringing in wealth." People also wrap coins in dumplings. People who eat the dumplings will have good fortune in the new year.
Dumplings and noodles
In many places in Henan, dumplings and noodles are eaten on the morning of New Year's Day, which is called "Golden Thread Wearing Yuanbao". On New Year's Eve, the dumplings are cooked and eaten, which is called "fishing for ingots".
New Year Cake
In the early days, people in Suzhou made New Year cakes to commemorate Wu Zixu. Later, they gradually became popular all over the country, such as red date rice cakes in Shandong, mince rice cakes in Beijing, and Fujian rice cakes. Taro rice cake and red/white sugar rice cake, Ningbo’s water-milled rice cake, Suzhou’s osmanthus sugar rice cake, etc. Rice cakes are homophonic to "nian Gao" and are a must-have food during the Spring Festival, embodying people's expectations of "nian high".
Noodles
In some areas of Fujian, noodles (mostly thread noodles) are eaten on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, which means "long-lasting".
Fish
The Spring Festival diet pays great attention to its meaning, and of course fish is indispensable. It is usually the last dish on the table. In some places, this dish is basically not eaten, which means "every year." More than enough." And some places are also particular about the choice of fish for New Year's Eve dinner. Silver carp means more than one year after year, crucian carp and carp mean good luck, and salmon means more than wealth.
Wontons
In Jingjiang, Jiangsu, whether you are entertaining guests, celebrating festivals or celebrating weddings, you must eat wontons. On the morning of New Year's Eve, every household begins to chop vegetables and stuff them into wontons, which they eat from the 30th of the New Year to the 15th day of the first lunar month. "Wontons are like wine, and the more you eat, the more you get." This expresses the good wishes of Jingjiang people for the new year.
Tangyuan
In Sichuan, glutinous rice balls are eaten for breakfast on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The glutinous rice balls on this day are called "Yuanbao", and eating glutinous rice balls is called "De Yuanbao". Whichever means reunion, perfection, and happiness. Sweet meaning. On the first day of the New Year, Yangzhou people eat Sixi Tangyuan, which means everything goes well and the family is reunited; Shanghainese also eat Tangyuan for breakfast on the first day of the New Year, which means perfection, wealth and power.
Chicken
"No feast without chicken" is the mantra of the Cantonese people. People in Guangdong and Hong Kong must eat chicken during the Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of chicken is similar to that of Ji, which represents good luck in life. Hubei people drink chicken soup during the Chinese New Year, which symbolizes peace and tranquility. Chicken wings mean spreading your wings and flying high, chicken feet mean "making money in the New Year", and eating chicken bones means "getting ahead".
獍粑
The Tujia people in Xiangxi, Hunan, have a saying of "Twenty-eight, making cakes". On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Tujia people make glutinous rice cakes, and Hakka people also have the habit of eating glutinous rice cakes during the festival.
Zongzi
The Zhuang people in Guangxi have the custom of eating New Year’s rice dumplings during the Chinese New Year. Zhuang family members make or buy rice dumplings a few days before the Spring Festival every year. They are sure to welcome guests on the first and second day of the Lunar New Year. Want to eat rice dumplings.
Lettuce
Cantonese people also eat lettuce during the Chinese New Year. Lettuce and wealth are homophones, which means prosperity in the coming year.
Poached eggs
In the Spring Festival customs, some places have the tradition of eating and giving eggs. They are also essential on the New Year's Eve dinner table, called "Reunion Eggs". Poached eggs should be eaten on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the yolk should be eaten first, which means that the new year will be successful and prosperous.
Fujiang
Fujian is a special product of Fujian. In some areas, Futangerines are placed and eaten during the Chinese New Year. Oranges are homophonic to "吉", which means "Fu" and "Auspicious". ", which means good luck and good luck.
Eight-treasure rice
Eight-treasure rice is an indispensable food for Shanghainese’s traditional New Year’s Eve dinner, symbolizing reunion, good luck and peace.
Taipingyan
An indispensable dish for Fuzhou people’s New Year’s Eve dinner is Taipingyan, also known as flat meat swallow. Fuzhou people must eat Taipingyan during festivals, weddings and funerals, and gatherings of relatives and friends, so there is a saying that "there is no feast without swallows, and there is no adult without swallows."
Overnight meal
In southern Fujian, a pot of rice is cooked on New Year's Eve and placed on the dining table until the first day of the first lunar month. It is also called "New Year's Eve", which means "New Year's Eve" There is more than enough every year.”
Extended information:
The Spring Festival is a traditional festival of the Chinese nation and the most important festival of the year. The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, also called the lunar year, commonly known as the "New Year". In the process of historical development and inheritance, some relatively fixed customs and habits have been formed, and many of them are still passed down to this day, such as sweeping dust, posting Spring Festival couplets, worshiping ancestors, paying New Year's greetings, lighting firecrackers, paying New Year greetings, etc.
There is a Chinese folk saying of "opening firecrackers", which means that every household sets off firecrackers when the New Year arrives. On the first day of the new year, people get up early, put on their most beautiful clothes, get neatly dressed, and go out to visit relatives and friends to wish them good luck in the coming year.
The Spring Festival is the most solemn and lively traditional festival in China. The Spring Festival evolved from the activities of worshiping gods and ancestors at the beginning of the year in ancient times. Although the folk custom of celebrating the New Year has long existed in ancient my country, it was not called the Spring Festival at that time. In ancient times, the Spring Festival once specifically referred to the beginning of spring among the 24 solar terms. Later, it was changed to the first day of the first lunar month, which was regarded as the beginning of the lunar year. The beginning of the year.
In legend, the Nian beast is afraid of the color red, fire and explosions, and appears on the first day of the lunar new year. Therefore, every New Year’s Day, people pay New Year greetings, post Spring Festival couplets, and hang New Year pictures. , put up window grilles, set off firecrackers, give out red envelopes, wear new clothes, eat dumplings, watch the New Year, lion and dragon dances, hang lanterns, kowtow and other Spring Festival customs.