The classic dishes served for Chinese New Year 2027, and the symbolic meaning behind each one.
"Fish" (鱼, yu) sounds like "surplus." Served whole, often left partly uneaten, to symbolize abundance carrying into the new year.
Shaped like ancient gold and silver ingots — eating them is meant to invite wealth. A popular family-cooking tradition in northern China.
Their golden, cylindrical shape resembles bars of gold, making them a natural symbol of wealth and prosperity, especially in eastern China.
"Nian gao" is a pun on "higher year" — eating it symbolizes rising fortune, growth, and progress with each passing year.
Served in long, unbroken strands representing a long life — traditionally not cut during preparation or eating.
Their round shape and golden color symbolize fullness and gold; the words for "tangerine" and "orange" also echo "luck" and "wealth" in Chinese.
Since longevity noodles symbolize a long life, cutting them — during cooking or eating — is thought to symbolically cut the wish short.
Historically associated with poverty, plain rice porridge is traditionally avoided on New Year's Day itself, saved instead for later in the festival period.
Some households avoid dishes whose names sound like unlucky words in Chinese — the same wordplay logic that makes other dishes lucky can work in reverse.
CutDone's 2027 Goal Wall is a free, anonymous board where people post one goal for the year — no account needed.
Post My 2027 Goal →Whole fish is often considered the centerpiece dish, since "fish" (鱼, yu) sounds like the word for "surplus" — the wish is to have abundance left over into the new year. It's traditionally served whole and often not entirely finished, symbolically leaving something behind for the future.
Dumplings are shaped like ancient Chinese gold and silver ingots, so eating them is meant to invite wealth in the coming year. Making dumplings as a family activity on New Year's Eve is also a common bonding tradition in northern China.
Yes — longevity noodles (长寿面) are traditionally served uncut and eaten in long, unbroken strands, since cutting them is thought to symbolically cut short the long life they represent. Many cooks avoid chopping the noodles during preparation for the same reason.
Some households avoid foods associated with endings or bad luck — for example, foods pronounced similarly to words for "four" (which sounds like "death") are sometimes avoided, and plain congee or porridge is traditionally skipped on the first day since it was historically eaten only by the poor.