Send As SMS

Will & Tracy

This is our blog

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Chinese New Year Food Symbolism

Here is a cool list of foods that have some symbolism for the new year. Today is New Year's Eve in Chinese (the Lunar New Year's Eve). Tomorrow starts the year of the Golden Pig and so today we have to clean up the house a bit, because we are not allowed to clean the house the first five days of the New Year otherwise you risk sweeping all of your good fortune out the door (no risk of that happening with our Ayi out for the week!!) he he.

So today big shout out to my Dad - Happy Birthday - have a safe drive back from Florida - and BOK CHOY to all of you too! (private family food joke - and trust me, not worth asking about)

So, Xin Nian Kuai Le - translated to Happy New Year!
(Shin Ne-ann Kwye Luh)
  • Bamboo shoots - wealth
  • Black moss seaweed - wealth
  • Dried Bean Curd - happiness (note: fresh tofu is not served because the color white symbolizes death and misfortune in Chinese culture).
  • Chicken - happiness and marriage (especially when served with "dragon foods," such as lobster. Family reunion (if served whole)
  • Eggs - fertility
  • Egg Rolls - wealth
  • Fish served whole - prosperity
  • Chinese garlic chives - everlasting, a long life
  • Lychee nuts - close family ties
  • Noodles - A long life
  • Oranges - wealth
  • Peanuts - a long life
  • Pomelo - abundance, prosperity, having children
  • Seeds - lotus seeds, watermelon seeds, etc. - having a large number of children
  • Tangerines – luck

4 Comments:

Marina said...

Tracy thank you for all these cultural information, it is fascinating. I guess people who want to have children, have to eat lots of eggs and seeds and if they don't get children they will get high cholesterol instead.

12:20 AM  
Anonymous said...

no seeds being eaten at the Baillie house.
perhaps i am not in on the Bok Choy comment, or it is such a bad story that i have blocked it out.

1:21 AM  
Anonymous said...

No eggs for me right now...just egg rolls! ;)

2:23 PM  
willandtracy said...

If you really want to know. Uncle Roger came running to the phone and wanted to know what "Bok Choy" meant in Chinese. I had to break it to him that it was just a vegetable - kind of like his brain on drugs. Any questions? Although I do hold the right to correct myself and apologize for my chuckle if I find out in a future chinese class it does mean something. In the meantime, we came up with our own catch phrase : "...and Bok Choy to you too!"

7:43 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home