Fish symbolise abundance in Chinese Culture
Fish are served on Chinese New Year. In Chinese culture, fish or yu (鱼) in Mandarin is symbolised with abundance, also pronunced as yu (余).
Posts Tagged Chinese New Year
Chinese Dumplings
Chinese Dumplings
Chinese Dumplings look like silver ingots. Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during New Year celebration, more money you can make in the New Year.
Almost all Chinese people can make dumplings, first mix the dough, second make the dough into wrappers by a rolling pin, third fill the wrappers with pork, beef, vegetable, fish or anything else can be used as stuffing.
Spring Rolls – Chinese New Year Gold Bars
Spring Rolls
The Chineses serve spring rolls, 春卷 (chun juan) on dining table during Chinese New Year because the rolls symbolise wealth their shape is similar to gold bars. They associate the name with Spring because Chinese New Year is also the Spring Festival, they welcome the Spring season in China.
Spring Rolls contain pork and vegetable. They can be easily taken on picnics.
The dish is actually nutritious and delicious.
Mandarin Oranges, the Gold in Chinese New Year
During Chinese New Year, you get to see whole lots of crates of mandarin orange sold around the chinese towns.
In Cantonese, mandarin oranges is pronounced as Gan or Gam, which is similiar to the sound of Gold. It is no wonder that to the Chinese, mandarin oranges is the symbol symbol of wealth and good fortune.
Nian Gao (Sticky Cake) Facts
10 more days till Chinese New year, which falls on 26th January 2009. Today I’ll discuss some facts about Nian Gao (年糕) or Sticky Cake.
Nian Gao (年糕) or Sticky Cake
1. Nian Gao (年糕) or Sticky Cake is traditionally served on Chinese New Year till today.
2. It’s made glutinous rice flour, white sugar mix.
3. Traditionally it is steamed with firewood, now it can be done with gas stove.
4. Nian Gao can stay fresh for years if steamed thorough.
5. Banana leaves are used as containers to preserve Nian Gao fragrance
6. Nian gao is traditionally offered to the Kitchen God at dawn on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, which is said to be the day the deity returns to heaven to present his report on each household to the Jade Emperor.
7. The sticky cake is meant to seal the deity’s lips to keep him from reporting bad deeds.
8. Many taboos to be observed. For instance, pregnant women, those who have just given birth and those who are menstruating must not be present, when Nian Gao is being made.
