New Year's Eve feast dishes typically carry auspicious meanings. Today we introduce what to eat during the reunion dinner—don't forget these 14 dishes on New Year's Eve!
What to eat for the reunion dinner?
The reunion dinner is the highlight of the Spring Festival celebrations, not only rich in variety but also deeply rooted in symbolic significance.Before the meal, families pay respects to ancestors or deities, waiting until incense and candles burn out before dining. The table typically features chicken (symbolizing "having plans"), fish (representing "abundance year after year"), fermented black beans (for "prosperity in business"), lettuce (for "generating wealth"), dried tofu skin (for "abundance"), and garlic (for "being good at calculations")—all chosen for their auspicious meanings.
1. Dumplings: Attracting Wealth and Treasure
In Chinese folklore, eating dumplings while welcoming the New Year on New Year's Eve is a grand feast that no other delicacy can replace. Also known as "jiaozi" or "jiao'er," dumplings symbolize the transition from old to new and embody the will of heaven, making them an essential dish for this feast.Eating dumplings symbolizes the transition of the year ("jiao zi"), where "zi" refers to midnight ("zi shi") and "jiao" sounds like "dumpling" ("jiao"), conveying joyful reunion and auspicious blessings. Additionally, dumplings resemble ingots, so eating them during the New Year carries the auspicious meaning of attracting wealth and treasures.
The choice of dumpling filling carries direct symbolic meaning. The most common leek filling signifies enduring wealth, as "jiu" (久) implies longevity and permanence. The classic winter filling of cabbage and pork represents abundant wealth.Shiitake mushrooms, prized for their health benefits, are wrapped into dumplings to symbolize "drumming up wealth." The word "drum" implies elevation and protrusion, and the mushroom's shape resembles an upward-pointing arrow—or the rising trend of a stock market index—suggesting upward momentum and fullness, hence the meaning of "drumming up wealth." Finally, there's the pickled mustard greens favored by Nanjing locals, said to signify "calculating wealth."
2.Chicken: Symbolizes Planning
A sumptuous reunion dinner on New Year's Eve naturally features chicken. In many regions, chicken is the first dish served during the feast, as it signifies good fortune. A whole chicken must grace the table, representing the belief that "eating chicken brings prosperity." In Guangzhou, Hakka families even use free-range chickens and geese as offerings to deities during worship, symbolizing vigorous vitality.
To reduce fat and calorie intake, remove the skin either before or after cooking. In fact, a thin membrane exists between the skin and meat, which retains moisture while preventing fat from leaking out. Therefore, if necessary, remove the skin after cooking. This not only reduces fat intake but also preserves the chicken's delicious flavor.
3. Pork Tongue: Auspicious Fortune
Pork tongue symbolizes a year of great fortune, making it a hot commodity among neighbors during the New Year festivities!
4. Fish: Abundance Year After Year
Rooted in the Chinese tradition of "abundance year after year" (where "fish" sounds like "abundance"), fish is an essential dish for the New Year's Eve feast.Eating carp on New Year's Eve brings great fortune, as "carp" (鲤) sounds like "ceremony" (礼). Eating crucian carp brings auspiciousness, as "crucian" (鲫) sounds like "auspicious" (吉). Eating both carp and crucian carp together signifies double good fortune. Eating silver carp symbolizes "abundance year after year," as "silver" (鲢) sounds like "continuous" (连).
To fully embrace the "abundance year after year" symbolism, you can prepare two fish on New Year's Eve: one for the feast and one for the first day of the new year. Alternatively, if preparing just one fish, serve the tail end during the feast and the head end on the first day—this signifies having both the beginning and end of abundance.
5.Dried Oysters: Prosperity
Southern Chinese New Year feasts often feature chicken, roasted pork, hair moss, and dried oysters, as "hair moss" (发菜) and "dried oysters" (蚝豉) sound like "prosperity" (发财) and "good fortune" (好市). Dried oysters, also known as dried oyster meat, are a must-have dish for Guangdong people during the Spring Festival.Dried oysters are an excellent calcium supplement, rich in phosphorus. Since calcium absorption requires phosphorus assistance, they enhance calcium uptake.
6. Shrimp: Laughter and Joy
Guangzhou residents love seafood, and shrimp is a traditional auspicious dish during the New Year, prepared as blanched shrimp or fried shrimp. Shrimp symbolizes daily laughter and joy, "laughing heartily."A dish of shrimp each New Year brings laughter and joy year after year.On New Year's Eve, people deliberately cut the vegetables longer than usual, hence the name, symbolizing enduring longevity and greater prosperity in the coming year. Eating this dish on New Year's Eve with leftovers carried over to the next day represents the working people's aspiration for a better life and their hopes for the new year.