By Tan, Bonny written on 27-Oct-1997
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

Various cakes, fruits, sweetmeats and nuts are offered during the Chinese New Year celebrations. They are served because their names are a play on words, often having a double-meaning as a blessing on this auspicious occasion in a particular Chinese dialect.

The King of Cakes
Nian gao, which literally translates to "year cake", is a Chinese New Year staple, the word also sounding like "going upwards", implying social progress. It is made from glutinous rice flour and sugar. Gao has the same sound as the word "high" in Chinese and thus it is offered in the belief that those who eat it would be rewarded with a higher status or a better life in the new year. The circular shape of the cake is symbolic of eternal friendship. The stickiness of the glutinous rice suggests faithful support for one another through thick and thin, the mark of true friendship. And finally, its sweet flavour offers sweet life. When the cake hardens after a few weeks, it can be steamed and eaten with grated coconut or cut into slices, dipped in batter and fried.

Strike Gold
Chinese oranges, or tangerines, have become the most popular gift during this period. They are called kam in Cantonese which also means "gold" in the  same dialect. In Mandarin, they sound like ji or "lucky" and mean "gifts of good omen". The oranges are given in even numbers for good luck when visiting friends and relatives.

Tray of Luck
The octagonal tray known as pa kuo ho is the traditional eight-sided container used to contain a variety of sweetmeats, cakes and seeds served to visitors. The centre contains dried-salted melon seeds. The Chinese believe that the more melon seeds you eat, the more children you will have. The sweetmeats are a symbol of the sweetness of life while the cakes or gao suggest a higher level of lifestyle. The eight sides of the tray also carry significance as eight or paat in Cantonese sounds like "prosperity" in the same dialect.

Fish of Fortune
Fish or yu  has the same sound as the word "excess" and is mandatory especially for the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. It has to be served whole, the head and tail representing completeness with a beginning and an end. Fish is often the last dish served, thus symbolic of the host wishing the guests continual abundance ahead of them.

The Teochew Chinese consider the rabbit fish (Siganus canalicalatus) - bai du yu in Mandarin or pek thor her in the Teochew dialect - highly auspicious as it signifies good luck and prosperity. The fish breeds only once a year during the seasonal celebrations of January or February. Thus during Chinese New Year, the silver-grey female fish is a delicacy, heavy with delicious roe.

Raw fish or yu sheng has become a common Chinese New Year dish, especially for the reunion dinner. Yu means "excess" while sheng means "life". Yu sheng is also served on the seventh day, known as "Everyman's Birthday", in the hope of having a longer life or added material wealth. The fish is thinly sliced and tossed together with a mixture of shredded vegetables in a sweet, piquant sauce.

Nuts
Peanuts, nicknamed "health nuts", are offered to guests. They are called hua sheng, meaning the "flower of life". The groundnut is known as chang sheng gua or the "nut of longevity" because of its shape, promising a long, healthy life. Chestnuts served are wishes for a good profit, as derived from the name li zi.

Oysters & Sea Moss
The oyster, or ho si  in Cantonese, means "fortunate situation". Sea moss or fa cai sounds like "to prosper". The combination of oyster and sea moss makes a New Year dish called ho si fa cai, which is a common New Year greeting meaning "happy events and may you gain fortune".

Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms known as dong gu go along with the idiom dong cheng xi jiu or "wishes fulfilled from east to west".

Dates
Red dates or hong zao mean "prosperity comes early".

Seeds
Lotus seeds are called lian zi which also means "many sons" and are offered in the hope that the family would have a continuous lineage of sons. Melon seeds or gua zi can imply not only "many sons" but also "multiple coins".

Abalone
The pricy abalone is known as bao yu, which has a parallel meaning of "assurance" (bao) of a "surplus" (yu) in the year ahead. It is thus popular for New Year meals amongst businessmen.

Vegetables
Raw lettuce or sheng cai imply "to grow money". It is usually eaten with braised abalone. Chinese leek or da suan, which sounds like "counting", is served by the Teochews with other dishes to make a combination symbolising auspicious abundance. Mixed with cuttlefish, or you yu in Mandarin, it means "counting continual abundance; if cooked with prawns, or har in Cantonese, it becomes "counting with laughter". The Hokkiens serve leeks during the reunion dinner. Leeks are sometimes hung for good luck during this season.



Author
Bonny Tan



References 
Chinese New Year. (1984). Singapore Heritage, 3, 3-5.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SH)

Eat and strike a fortune. (1999, January 31). The Straits Times, p. 20.

Whats in a name? Everything. (1990, January 25). The Straits Times, p. 19.

Retrieved March 2, 1999, from hills.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~mma01/newyear/ny-food.html 



The information in this article is valid as at 1997 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.