Feast your way to luck and prosperity this Lunar New Year
- Written by Giulia Sirignani
When Lunar New Year celebrations kick off on January 29, they begin a period of 15 days to usher out the old year and bring forth luck and prosperity for the new Year of the Wood Snake. According to legend, the Year of the Wood Snake foreshadows a time of transformation, growth, and introspection where we must learn from the past and move forward with wisdom, awareness and compassion.
While Lunar New Year is synonymous with an array of festivities including those seen every year at Sydney’s Paddy’s Markets which include lion dances, colourful parades, and splashes of red decorations everywhere; it also means feasting on delicious food with family and loved ones.
Choosing what to put on your Lunar New Year menu is crucial if you want to achieve wealth, luck, and prosperity in the year ahead.
Here’s our guide on the food you need to buy, cook and devour to ensure good fortune and living your best life in the Year of the Wood Snake.
Dumplings
The traditional shape of dumplings resembles gold and silver ingots which were historically used as currency. This makes them a lucky food to start the new year with. Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat, the more money you can make in the new year.
Spring Rolls
Stuffed with various ingredients from pork to mushrooms, cultures celebrating Lunar New Year consider spring rolls to resemble the shape of gold bars. This makes them a symbol of wealth, therefore a lucky food to eat during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Whole Steamed Fish
A whole steam fish is considered lucky because it symbolises abundance particularly when served uncut. So don’t fillet it but rather serve it steaming and whole to ensure you get lots of what you love this year. Fish also symbolises wealth because 'yu', the Chinese word for fish, is synonymous with the words for wealth and abundance.
Noodles
Longevity noodles or Changshou Mian, are a popular New Year food. Noodles are associated with long life and therefore are a lucky food to enjoy during the new year. In Northern China, these noodles can be up to two feet long (!!!). Legend has it that the longer your noodle, the longer your life—just don’t bite it or break it while it’s cooking, since that signifies a life cut short.
Rice Balls
Rice balls are one of the main foods of the Lunar New Year festival. They symbolise family traditions and togetherness making them a must on the Lunar New Year menu. Rice balls are basically chewy balls made from water and glutinous rice flour, served either deep-fried or in hot broth or syrup. They can be stuffed with savory or sweet fillings alike.
Lunar New Year cake
Eating this cake on the eve of Lunar New Year symbolises more income, a promotion and overall improvement in life. For a pay raise, promotion or general good luck in the new year, look no further than this rice cake sweet treat. Its name has the same pronunciation as the Chinese word for “tall” or “high” underscoring its purpose to improve the eater’s life.
Whole Chicken
A whole chicken represents consistent luck right from the beginning of the year until its very end. It also represents family and unity. When chicken is cooked over the 15 days of New Year celebrations, it’s traditionally first offered to one’s ancestors for blessings and protection.
Whole Eggs
Eggs symbolise prosperity fertility and family unity. The yolk particularly is considered lucky because it’s said to resembles gold.
Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits particularly tangerines, but also oranges, mandarins and grapefruit are considered lucky as their orange hues resemble gold and wealth. The tangerine or “chéng” is one of the luckiest fruits in Lunar tradition and sounds like the Chinese words for “luck” and “success.” Tangerines are often served at the end of a meal or given as gifts to relatives during visits year-round. However, it’s believed that the more tangerines you eat during Lunar New Year, the more wealth they’ll bring, so get peeling over the festive period!
Prawns
Prawns and lobster are both revered as symbols of happiness and energy, so they make a great addition to your Lunar New Year menu. The Cantonese word for shrimp (“ha”) sounds like laughter, so it has come to signify happiness over time.
Buddha's Delight
This vegetarian dish is served on the first day of the Lunar New Year and it represents the meal that helped Buddha achieve self-purification. Since Buddhism is commonly revered in China, this dish is considered a lucky new year food.
Red proteins
Foods like BBQ pork and any red proteins symbolise happiness, vitality, and prosperity as they represent the red sun and colour of fortune.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Homemade pork “Lion Head” meatballs are named for their shape. They symbolise strength and family unity in Chinese culture making them a lucky new year food.
Yee Sang, Raw Fish Salad
Yee Sang, also called the "Prosperity Toss" or "Lou Sang," is a traditional Lunar New Year dish symbolizing prosperity, unity, and success.
Popular in Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese communities, this vibrant raw fish salad typically features strips of fish (like salmon), shredded vegetables, sauces, and condiments. A vegetarian version uses soy "fish" instead. The name "Yee Sang" translates to "raw fish," but it’s also a homophone for "abundance," making it a festive symbol of prosperity and good fortune.
Pineapples
The pineapple is a beloved symbol of good luck, wealth, and prosperity during Chinese New Year. In Hokkien dialect, the word for pineapple, "ong lai," sounds like "incoming fortune," making it a perfect festive fruit!
With these traditions in mind for Lunar New Year, never as the expression “you are what you eat” been a truer statement.
Head into Paddy’s Haymarket or Flemington to shop for these ingredients, from many prosperous produce to meat and seafood – you'll definitely have an auspicious feast to remember. By ringing in the Lunar New Year with these festive foods, you’re embracing the spirit of renewal and the intention for a year filled with abundance and happiness!