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| Rice (米饭; mǐfàn) - fertility, luck, wealth, rice symbolizes a link between Heaven (God) and Earth (Mankind) |
Today is Chinese New Year, and it is now the Year of the Dragon. The dragon, according to Chinese astrology, is the most powerful of the 12 signs of the zodiac...it's associated with high energy and prosperity.
Last night we celebrated Chinese New Year's Eve at my parents. There is a long list of foods that have symbolic meaning to them, and they worked very hard (high energy!) to fight the crowds at the Chinese food market, to insure that we had a lot of food (prosperity). It is definitely the Year of the Dragon, as there was an abundance of delicious foods prepared for this special evening. Here's a small peek at some of the food we had, and their symbolic meaning.
Abalone (sea snail; 鳆; fù) - definite good fortune; Oyster, dried (ho xi) - all good things, good luck; Fish ball (鱼蛋; yúdàn) - reunion; Shiitake, Black mushroom (冬菇; dōnggū) - longevity, sizing opportunities.
Vegetable, green (绿叶菜; lǜyècài) - close family ties.
Fish - The word 魚 (yú), meaning "fish", has the same pronunciation as the word 餘, which is "remain or surplus", 'having leftovers of money', an increase in prosperity.
Scallops ( 扇贝; shànbèi) - opening of new horizons.
Shrimp (小虾; xiǎoxiā) - happiness and good fortune.
Sweets and fruits are served on a round tray, the form resembling togetherness, hence the tray is called the 'Tray of Togetherness'.
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| I love these little sesame treats...the "crack" in the ball looks like a "smile", which represents happiness. Love that! |
Noodles (面条; miàntiáo) uncut - long life.
Gung Hay Fat Choi!
(Happy Lunar New Year!)
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