| Chinese New Year Food: The Traditional Way |
Chinese New Year food is a huge part of the two week celebration which takes place during the first lunar month of the year. This particular New Year celebration is determined by the Chinese character. It is a lot like the Western new year, in that it does, indeed, celebrate the coming of a new year. Only the logistics are different. In the Western world, some cultures cook up cabbage on New Year's day, adding silver coins into the pot in order to bring health, wealth, and luck in the coming year. With the Chinese New Year, the sentiments are the same. Only the foods served are different.
The neat thing about the Chinese New Year is that food, banquets of food is served for fifteen days straight until the new lunar moon, for that is when the Chinese New Year happens. Food is a huge part of this tradition. In the states, caterers are brought in and serve many, many people at all sorts of celebrations, but back in China, many of the families cook all of their own foods and cook for many, many people.
Sometimes, certain foods are served based on how they look. Entire chickens are popular because they symbolize togetherness among the family unit. When you serve an entire chicken during the celebration, it is assurance that the family will be together and stay together. This is something that all families want for the coming new year.
Another food item that is served during the Chinese New Year is noodles. Now, noodles are popular in Chinese culture in general, but there is a story behind the noodle. Noodles in Chinese culture can sometimes symbolize a long life line, so serving noodles at Chinese New Year is definitely a great idea. Whether you are serving noodle soup, a noodle side or anything else that has noodles in it, serving noodles for this fabulous holiday is a very traditional and great way to bring in the new year.
In certain cases, some foods are served simply because the word for them sounds like a word for something else. If the name of a food sounds anything like the words for luck, fortune, ambition, abundance, et cetera, they will most likely be served during the celebration. For instance, many citrus fruits are included for this reason.
Fish is also frequently served. It has several symbols attached to it. The Chinese word for fish is "yu." It sounds like the words for terms of good fortune. As well, the fish itself is considered indicative of good luck. When it is served whole with both the head and tail in tact, it is indicative of the year's good beginning and ending.
Henry Fong
Feng Shui Consultant
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http://www.absolutelyfengshui.com
Article Source: UnArchived Articles
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