The Chinese people consume more food during the New Year. Vast amounts of traditional food are prepared for family and friends, as well as for those people who have left for the celestial home.On New Year's Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various superstitious aspects to them.
Other foods include a whole fish, to represent togetherness and abundance, and a chicken for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life.
In south China, the favorite and most typical dishes were nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed leaves), another popular delicacy.
In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou)（馒头
） and small meat dumplings were the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the household.
Some of the foods are listed bellow:
年糕
Nian-gao; rise cake; New Year cake
团圆饭
family reunion dinner
年夜饭
the dinner on New Year's Eve
饺子
Jiao-zi; Chinese meat ravioli
汤圆
Tang-yuan; dumplings made of sweet rice, rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings
八宝饭
eight treasures rice pudding
糖果盘
candy tray:
什锦糖
assorted candies - sweet and fortune
蜜冬瓜
candied winter melon - growth and good health
西瓜子
red melon seed - joy, happiness, truth and sincerity
金桔
cumquat - prosperity
糖莲子
candied lotus seed - many descendents to come
糖藕
candied lotus root - fulfilling love relationship
红枣
red dates - prosperity
花生糖
peanut candy - sweet
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