Customs of New Year's Eve Dinner varies in different parts of the country. People in the north eat Jiao Zi (a kind of dumpling), while folks in the south prefer Mi Tuan Zi (a kind of rice dumpling) and water rice puddings. It is popular to taste fried or poached Yuan Xiao (a kind of smaller rice dumpling) in Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province and Guangdong Province on the first day of Chinese New Year. On that day, Zhangzhou folks in Fujian Province traditionally have raw garlic and preserved duck eggs for breakfast, and Chaozhou people in Guangdong Province eat fermented dumplings, a local specialty. While noodle and stewed beef are the first day food of the New Year for the Hui ethnic minority, Jiao zi is for the second day.
Hun Tun (a kind of dumpling) means the beginning of the universe. The creation of the World by Pan Gu is one of the most well-known legends in China. At that moment, what was light and clean rose up and gradually dispersed, thus turning into heaven; what was heavy and turbid descended and became earth, putting an end to the compounding state and creating the four directions of the universe. Hun Tun also literally means sufficient storage of rice.
Accordingly, Hun Tun has its ancient origin, but not Jiao Zi. However, Hun Tun was made into crescent shape and turned into Jiao Zi later on. By the Tang Dynasty, the custom of eating Jiao Zi had spread even to remote frontiers of the country. Jiao Zi has universally been served at twelve o'clock on the New Year's Eve. The character Zi stands for the time of the upcoming of a brand-new period.
The Song Dynasty saw the popularity of preparation for Nian Gao (rice pudding), which thrived in the Ming Dynasty. The two characters Nian Gao literally conveys an exalting message of “rise in position every year. |
Asia Travel 
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