Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year
Blog # 2
April 12, 2015
By: Jenna Graunke

In China, the Chinese New Year is a major holiday in Chinese culture. This holiday originated from a belief that the deities had to be sacrificed to every year. Chinese New Year is a day where families are together to celebrate the holiday. It’s a very family focused day, and family is one of the most important parts! New Years Eve dinner is called reunion dinner and several generations of family come together to eat this feast. Something unique about the food in this dinner is that a lot of the food symbolizes something. For example, in this dish, the food symbolizes prosperity. This dish is titled “Braised Prosperity Trotter Pot”, and is attached below. In rural areas, many activities are included such as, firecrackers, ancestor worship, and dragon dances. In most Chinese cities, traditional performances can be seen: dragon dances, lion dances, and performances representing palace events. A very unique aspect on this holiday is the decorations. On this day, every building and area is decorated in red. They decorate in red, because it is seen as an opportune color. Gifts are exchanged throughout Chinese New Year just like the christmas season, except gifts are red envelopes with money in them. Throughout the festival, fish and chinese dumplings are popular foods to eat. Fish are supposed to give you good luck for the future. The dumplings are shaped like Chinese money, so people believe that it will lead to great wealth within the coming year. All of the foods and traditions have one element in common: symbolism. 

Braised Prosperity Trotter Pot Recipe: Braised Prosperity Trotter Pot

Beh, Amy. "Braised Prosperity Trotter Pot - Kuali." Kuali. Kuali, 15 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2015

Zhou, Ruru. "Chinese Spring Festival 2015: Tradition, History, Day-By-Day Guide." Chinese Spring Festival 2015. China Highlights, 3 Mar. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.