Symbolism in Every Bite
Spring Festival or more commonly known as “Chinese New Year” marks a sacred festival celebrated by the Chinese community. It is traditionally celebrated on the first month of the lunisolar Chinese calendar till Lunar Festival, the 15th day of the first month in which Chinese New Year is celebrated. “Nian Ye Fan”, the traditional reunion dinner is a must in every household. Majority reunion dinners feature a communal hot pot which simplifies family members coming together for a meal. Given the importance of food in every “Nian Ye Fan”, it is no surprise that each dish served holds its own symbol and importance.
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At the start of every reunion meal, the Yu Sheng is served. The Yu Sheng is a raw fish salad that consists mixed vegetables and golden crackers that signifies wealth. The leader among the other diner will then proceed to add all the remaining ingredients and it ends of with the others tossing the shredded ingredients high up with their chopsticks whilst wishing one another well wishes before proceeding to other dishes such as “Jiaozi” or known as round dumplings, signifies a whole family reunion and is traditionally eaten at midnight. The Longevity noodle and steamed fish is a common sight for every reunion meal. The Longevity noodle symbolize a long life so cutting the noodle is to be avoided completely. It is said that the longer you pull the noodle up with your utensils, the longer one lives! Steamed fish, also known as “Yu”, its Chinese name sounds like the word “abundance” and “wish” to the Chinese community. It is customary to serve a fish at the end of every reunion meal as it symbolizes a wish for abundance. Not forgetting, the fish is served whole from head to tail to symbolize a good beginning and ending for the year. Despite the festival season going as long as 16 days, there are a variety of food served continuously throughout. Hence one should not fret over the idea of shortage of food during the Lunar New Year!
