4 Traditional Chinese Festival Foods

Posted by Michelle.Yao

January 28, 2013

Chinese New Year: Jiaozi/Dumpling
People today in northern China typically will eat jiaozi on New Year’s Eve. For the reason that ‘jiaozi’ sounds like a word meaning ‘bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new.’ in Chinese. As a sign of good fortune for those who eat them, Some people prefer to wrap a one-yuan, fifty-cent or ten-cent coin in certain of the dumplings. This is believed to ensure good luck and prosperity in the coming New Year.

Lantern Festival: Tangyuan
Yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) or Tangyuan,a kind of sweet dumpling. It is the special food for the Lantern Festival, be made with sticky rice flour and filled with sweet stuffing. And the festival is named after the famous dumpling. Yuanxiao is sticky, sweet and round in shape, symbolizing family unity, completeness and happiness.

Dragon Boat Festival: Zongzi
Zongzi is definitely the special food eaten here. Made with sticky rice, Zongzi has different shapes as well as various fillings. In the north part of china, people prefer the jujube as filling, while the south sweetened bean paste, fresh meat, or egg yolk. Plenty of families make zongzi on their own. When making it, soaking the glutinous rice, washing the reed or bamboo leaves and wrapping zongzi with leaves are the key parts. Nowadays, this custom prevails in China and other countries.

Mid-Autumn Festival: Moon Cake
Since the moon cake is round in shape, it is a symbol of the reunion of a family, that makes it clear to see how the eating of moon cakes under the round moon can inspire the missing of distant relatives. Today, people present the moon cakes to relatives and friends to show that they wish them a long and happy life..