Chinese New Year Dinner

Chinese New Year, also know as "Spring Festival", is celebrated by Chinese people living all over the globe.  When I lived in Malaysia I grew up with many Chinese schoolmates who invited me to their homes to celebrate Chinese New Year.  My friends' parents often gave me traditional gifts such as "Red Packets" or "Ang Pow", Sticky Glutinous cakes and Tangerines.  These gifts symbolizes good luck for the coming year.  This holiday is celebrated for 15 days. The last day ends with the Lantern Festival or "Chap Goh Mei" in the   Hokkien dialect.

On the Eve of Chinese New Year, families get together to have a great feast.  Food generally includes pigs, ducks, chicken, noodles and sweet delicacies. The family ends the night with a celebration that includes a firecracker show.  Early the next morning, children greet their parents by wishing them a "Kung Chi Fat Choy" or Happy Chinese New Year, and receive gifts of money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to forgive all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Food is a very important part of the Chinese culture. Many of the dishes served during Chinese New Year have symbolic meanings.  Chicken, which is traditionally served whole, represents togetherness of the family.  Cookies and candies are for a sweet life. The Chinese words for tangerines, "Jin ju "sounds like the word for luck and are given freely.

The food that is associated with long life in Chinese culture are Noodles.  It  is considered  unlucky to cut the strand because symbolically it is believed to shorten one's life.

The Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for riches or abundance. Chinese believe that eating fish will help their wishes to come true in the New Year. Traditionally the whole fish is served to from head to tail.