We are only 3 days away from Chinese New Year. Traditionally, rare ingredients and lucky food are consumed during the celebratory CNY period signifying a fresh start to a new year and paving the way for a smooth year with auspicious traditions (and superstitions) such as spring cleaning, reunion dinner, wearing red, giving away hong baos.
Have you completed your CNY to-do list? In case you are wondering if you’ve missed out anything, here’s ours for your reference.
- Noodles = Longevity, long life
- Pineapples (Pineapple Tarts) = Arrival of prosperity
- Mandarin Oranges = Sounds like “gold” thus, symbolises wealth
- Sweet cakes (Nian Gao 年糕）= Better/higher achievements
- Whole fish with head & tail = Abundance, and completion of projects/tasks with “head” and “tail”
- Dumplings = Resembles gold ingots thus, symbolises wealth
- Dried Oysters = Prosperous business
- Abalone = Good fortune
- Black moss = Getting wealthy
- Glass noodles/Chinese vermicelli = silver chains
- Black fungus = Longevity
- Prawns = Laughters and happiness
- Turnip cake = Luck
- Meatballs (a.k.a ngor hiang) = Family reunion
- Chicken = Togetherness
- Duck = Fertility
- Mixed vegetables = Family harmony
- Onions = Cleverness
- Sweets = Good fortune, sweetness in the new year
- Rice = Fertility and abundance in wealth