Lunar New Year: Traditional Food Taboos and Customs
A guide to auspicious and inauspicious food practices during the Lunar New Year celebrations.
The Lunar New Year, celebrated widely across East and Southeast Asia, is a significant cultural festival marked by traditions that reflect hopes for prosperity, happiness, and good fortune.
Central to these celebrations are specific food customs, including both dishes that are encouraged for their auspicious meanings and those that are avoided due to superstitious beliefs.
Foods to Avoid:
Congee (Rice Porridge): Eating congee on the morning of New Year’s Day is traditionally avoided.
Historically linked to poverty, congee is thought to symbolize a difficult year ahead if consumed at the start of the year.
Meat at Breakfast: It is customary in some cultures to avoid eating meat for breakfast on New Year’s Day.
This practice, rooted in Buddhist traditions, is seen as a gesture of respect for deities and animals.
Chopping Chicken or Fish: Cutting up whole chickens or fish is considered inauspicious as it may symbolically 'cut' away wealth or harmony.
Serving them whole signifies unity and completeness.
Breaking Utensils: The accidental breaking of dishes, bowls, or other utensils is believed to bring bad luck, as it symbolizes financial or familial misfortune.
Use of Knives and Scissors: The use of sharp objects is avoided during the celebrations as they are thought to 'cut off' good fortune and prosperity.
Foods to Encourage:
Nian Gao (Glutinous Rice Cake): This traditional sticky rice cake is a symbol of rising success and growth, as its name, 'nian gao,' translates to 'year high.'
Dumplings: A staple in northern Chinese New Year feasts, dumplings are shaped like ancient Chinese currency, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.
Families often gather to make dumplings together, emphasizing unity.
Whole Fish: Fish is a popular dish during the Lunar New Year, as the Chinese word for fish ('yu') sounds similar to the word for surplus.
It is often served whole to symbolize a wish for abundance throughout the year.
These food traditions and taboos vary across regions and cultures but consistently reflect the shared belief in fostering good fortune and avoiding misfortune.
By observing these customs, families and communities aim to start the year with positivity and hope, ensuring a prosperous and harmonious year ahead.
Central to these celebrations are specific food customs, including both dishes that are encouraged for their auspicious meanings and those that are avoided due to superstitious beliefs.
Foods to Avoid:
Congee (Rice Porridge): Eating congee on the morning of New Year’s Day is traditionally avoided.
Historically linked to poverty, congee is thought to symbolize a difficult year ahead if consumed at the start of the year.
Meat at Breakfast: It is customary in some cultures to avoid eating meat for breakfast on New Year’s Day.
This practice, rooted in Buddhist traditions, is seen as a gesture of respect for deities and animals.
Chopping Chicken or Fish: Cutting up whole chickens or fish is considered inauspicious as it may symbolically 'cut' away wealth or harmony.
Serving them whole signifies unity and completeness.
Breaking Utensils: The accidental breaking of dishes, bowls, or other utensils is believed to bring bad luck, as it symbolizes financial or familial misfortune.
Use of Knives and Scissors: The use of sharp objects is avoided during the celebrations as they are thought to 'cut off' good fortune and prosperity.
Foods to Encourage:
Nian Gao (Glutinous Rice Cake): This traditional sticky rice cake is a symbol of rising success and growth, as its name, 'nian gao,' translates to 'year high.'
Dumplings: A staple in northern Chinese New Year feasts, dumplings are shaped like ancient Chinese currency, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.
Families often gather to make dumplings together, emphasizing unity.
Whole Fish: Fish is a popular dish during the Lunar New Year, as the Chinese word for fish ('yu') sounds similar to the word for surplus.
It is often served whole to symbolize a wish for abundance throughout the year.
These food traditions and taboos vary across regions and cultures but consistently reflect the shared belief in fostering good fortune and avoiding misfortune.
By observing these customs, families and communities aim to start the year with positivity and hope, ensuring a prosperous and harmonious year ahead.
