Happy Year of the Golden Bunny!
Did you know that it is a custom for many Chinese people begin the New Year with a vegetarian meal? Veggies like mushrooms, bamboo shoots, (wealth), bean sprouts and lettuce wraps (filled with lucky foods) are especially popular. Having a meat-free meal is considered good karma because you are refraining from eating anything that has been killed (so think of the good Karma we vegans/vegetarians are gathering up!). Also some consider lighting fires and using knives on the first day of the new year to be bad luck so traditionally most food is made the night before - kind of makes it a great day for a raw food feast non?
In Chinese Astrology the Rabbit is the symbol of the Moon, (Peacock is the symbol of the Sun) together they are Yin and Yang. Full moons during Rabbit years are considered to be especially lucky days to focus on wishes you would like to have granted.
Lucky Foods for Chinese New Year.
Certain foods are considered lucky based on appearance or because of how the Chinese word for it sounds. Here are a few...
- Noodles: Long Life (don't break the noodle before it is in your mouth! - zucchini noodles count - it is about the shape)
- Lettuce Wraps: Good Fortune (Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like raising fortune)
- Tangerines and Oranges: Good Luck (Again because the words sound like Luck/Wealth)
- Round Shapes: Family Reunion
- Apple: Wisdom and Peace
- Dried Apricot: Wealth Gold
- Bean Sprouts: new start, sprouting, positive start
- Cashews: gold money (crescents symbolize ancient gold bars of China)
- Garlic: Long life
- Coconut (juice/milk) togetherness
- Grapes: Abundance
- Lychee Nut: Family Togetherness
- Mixed Veggies: unity
- Mushrooms: longevity
- Onion: Cleverness
- Peach: immortality
- Peanuts: health, long life, birth of prosperity
- Pineapple: wealth, luck
- Sweets: sweeten the new year
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