Chinese New Year Food Guide: Symbolic Dishes, Meanings & Reunion Traditions

Chinese New Year is never just a date on the calendar. It unfolds as a festive season filled with colour, shared meals, and familiar flavours that signal togetherness. Whether celebrating in China, Singapore, or elsewhere, Chinese New Year food often becomes the heart of the experience.

During this period, food is more than something served at the table. Each dish carries meaning tied to unity, abundance, and the hopes families bring into the new lunar year. From bubbling hot pots and neatly arranged prosperity salads to pineapple tarts and sticky rice cakes, every bite reflects a story passed down over time.

Below is a closer look at Chinese New Year dishes, the symbolism behind them, and why these traditions continue to matter across generations. Many travellers are surprised to find that the connection between Chinese New Year and food is as much about shared moments as it is about taste.

The Meaning of Food During Chinese New Year

During the Lunar New Year season, food becomes more than simple nourishment. It acts as a shared language of blessings, where dishes symbolise hopes for prosperity, happiness, and long life. This tradition travels easily beyond China, shaping celebrations in places like Singapore, where tables are filled with traditional food of Chinese New Year and familiar symbolic flavours.

At its core, the meaning is straightforward. Gathering around the table reflects unity, while eating specific CNY dishes is believed to welcome good fortune into the year ahead. This is why the same Chinese New Year traditional dishes return every year, carrying cultural messages that feel just as relevant today.

Across different regions, typical Chinese New Year food can look quite different. In northern households, dumplings often take centre stage, while southern families are more likely to serve nian gao. Despite these variations, the underlying symbolism remains the same. Eating something auspicious is believed to invite its meaning into the year ahead. A sweet CNY dessert points to a pleasant year, while a Chinese New Year fish represents abundance and surplus. This idea is why many people say that food itself becomes part of the celebration.

Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner, The Heart of the Celebration

In China, millions of people travel long distances each year just to be home for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner. In Singapore, families come together for an equally meaningful Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, filling homes with familiar dishes and the comforting atmosphere of a shared feast.

The pull of this tradition extends beyond national borders. Chinese New Year has become a time when people fly in from overseas to reconnect with family or simply experience the festive energy they miss. Whether returning home or visiting for the atmosphere, the reunion dinner remains the emotional centre of the celebration.

If celebrating Chinese New Year away from home is part of the plan, travel arrangements often need to be made well in advance. Flights to destinations such as Singapore or Beijing tend to fill quickly during the festive period, making early booking a practical consideration rather than a last-minute decision.

This long-awaited gathering with relatives is known as the Chinese New Year reunion dinner. Held on the eve of the Lunar New Year, it is one of the most important family moments of the entire season. Homes come alive with familiar aromas, and the table becomes the centre of attention.

The reunion dinner is where tradition meets memory. It is not only about eating together, but about reconnecting, sharing stories, and exchanging blessings for the year ahead. The dishes are chosen with care, each one meant to symbolise a positive beginning.

Common dishes for a Chinese New Year reunion dinner include:

• Whole fish (yu) – representing abundance and surplus

• Dumplings (jiao zi) – shaped like ancient silver ingots, symbolising wealth

• Nian gao – the sticky rice cake associated with rising higher each year

• Whole chicken – representing unity, completeness, and blessings

• Vegetable dishes and longevity noodles – symbolising health and long life

In Singapore, the table may also include Chinese New Year hot pot, a shared bubbling dish that reflects warmth and togetherness. Some families choose catered reunion meals for convenience, while still preserving the variety and symbolism that define this important night.

Symbolic Main Dishes You’ll See Everywhere

Chinese New Year cuisine is deeply rooted in symbolism, and during the festive season, every dish is chosen with intention. These foods are not only served for their taste, but for the meaning they are believed to bring into the year ahead. Below are some of the most iconic Chinese New Year dishes and the traditions tied to them.

Fish (Yu) – Abundance

A staple on almost every reunion table. A whole Chinese New Year fish symbolises prosperity and surplus, with the idea of having something left over after the year ends. The head and tail are traditionally kept intact, representing a complete and well-rounded year from beginning to end.

Dumplings – Wealth

In northern regions of China, dumplings often take centre stage during Chinese New Year. Their folded shape resembles ancient silver ingots, turning them into a clear symbol of fortune and financial luck. Eating dumplings is often described as welcoming wealth into the year ahead, making them both meaningful and celebratory.

Spring Rolls – Prosperity

With their golden colour and crisp exterior, spring rolls are closely associated with prosperity. Their resemblance to gold bars explains why they are a familiar sight on Chinese New Year tables across Malaysia and Singapore. Served hot and shared easily, spring rolls reflect both abundance and the joy of eating together.

Whole Chicken – Unity and Renewal
Serving a whole chicken symbolises family completeness and harmony. Because nothing is cut away, it also reflects renewal and a fresh start, making it especially meaningful at the beginning of a new year.

Pork or Duck – Abundance and Celebration
Rich, hearty dishes made with pork or duck are closely linked to celebration. Their depth of flavour and generous portions represent abundance, marking the New Year as a time to enjoy and share without holding back.

Hot Pot – Togetherness
In both China and Singapore, Chinese New Year hot pot gatherings are especially popular. Everyone cooks at the same table, shares ingredients, and warms themselves around a single simmering pot. More than a meal, hot pot becomes a shared experience that reflects unity, cooperation, and abundance in one place.

Prosperity Dishes: Lo Hei & Yu Sheng

For many celebrations in Singapore and Malaysia, Chinese New Year would feel incomplete without Lo Hei, also known as Yu Sheng. This colourful salad has become a modern festive centrepiece, shifting attention away from quieter dishes like rice cakes and dumplings.

Sweet, crunchy, and tangy, Yu Sheng is more than food on a plate. The act of tossing the salad together, known as Lo Hei, symbolises lifting good fortune higher for the year ahead. Each ingredient carries its own meaning:

• Fish slices – abundance

• Shredded vegetables – wealth and vitality

• Crispy crackers – gold

• Sauces – smoothness and harmony

As the salad is tossed, everyone joins in by calling out auspicious phrases. Some are traditional, others playful or humorous, but all are meant to invite prosperity and shared laughter.

Restaurants such as TungLok often present special Chinese New Year menus featuring Yu Sheng made with premium ingredients like abalone or salmon, alongside lighter or vegetarian variations. Over time, this ritual has become so closely tied to the season that the sound of chopsticks clashing during a Yu Sheng toss now feels like part of the celebration itself.