Eat Lots of Lucky Foods for Extra Luck on Chinese New Year

Online, January 6, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Many believe that you will receive more blessings for the coming year if you prepare and eat various lucky foods on Chinese New Year. Food is an important part of Chinese culture, and every family celebrates with the most delicious and sumptuous array of Chinese dishes.

The Chinese people consider Chinese New Year the most important among their traditional holidays. Furthermore, referred as the Spring Festival, the celebration lasts for two weeks, with colorful dragon dances and the annual New Year dinner.

Each family follows their own set of traditions and customs to prepare for the Chinese New Year. They clean their house to sweep away the bad vibes and make way for good luck. Different paper-cut decorations, usually red, adorn their windows and doors to show happiness, long life and wealth. When it comes to food, Chinese spends money to prepare a delicious feast of lucky foods for dinner. They also serve particular fruits and vegetables, which they believe, will give them tremendous good luck for the coming year. Some of the lucky foods include:

• Chicken and Peking duck grace the dinner table every year because these lucky foods symbolize unity among family members, togetherness and fidelity.
• Noodles represent long life and usually eaten in its entire length because of the old superstition of bad luck when you cut the noodles into smaller lengths. This is also a main staple during birthday celebrations.
• Spring rolls and clams represent wealth because of their notable shapes, which resembles that of gold bars and bouillon.
• Lucky food like vegetables and fruits, considered significant on Chinese New Year because the way the word sounds. Lettuce use to wrap other lucky foods means rising fortune while tangerine and oranges, abundant during the festivities means wealth and luck.
• Fish served towards the end of dinner stands for wish and abundance. The fish, served as a whole in the dinner table complete with head and tail symbolizes a good beginning and end of the year.
• Steamed cakes signify sweetness and a rich life for the whole family. It also means family unity and abundance.

Serving lucky foods like vegetables and poultry on Chinese New Year will certainly bring good luck and prosperity for the whole family. These lucky foods together with fireworks make the celebration exciting and enjoyable.