What to cook for Chinese New Year. New Year in China. Recipes for the New Year's table in the New Year of the Rooster

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For the Chinese to hear January 1 "Happy New Year!" just as wild as if you were congratulated on March 8 in winter. The Chinese New Year comes later than the Western one and, unlike the banal change of the calendar, has much more meaning.

Chinese New Year is a spring festival. It falls on one of the days between January 21st and February 21st. And this is what happens in China two weeks before and two weeks after the holiday.

Firstly, it is customary to celebrate the Spring Festival at home with the whole family, that is, about half of China working in big cities returns home at this time.

Secondly, the Chinese are not supposed to leave. There is no such clause in the Chinese Labor Code. That is, national holidays are the only opportunity to travel. This means that within two weeks after the holiday, half of China is intensively developing tourist places in the Middle Kingdom.

Thirdly, in 2016, the population of China amounted to (for a second!) 1.3 billion people. Now imagine 750 million people moving from one place to another at the same time.

The traditions of celebrating the Chinese New Year in the provinces and cities differ:

• In the Wudang Mountains (Hubei Province), all houses are thoroughly cleaned, and a red and gold image of the character Fu 福 (happiness, well-being) is hung on the door straight or upside down. The same is done throughout China. Doorposts are also decorated with red inscriptions wishing good luck in the new year. Often they hang like this throughout the year and change on the eve of a new holiday.

• Also common here the custom to hang an image of the "sweet god" in the kitchen. Before the New Year, the housewives smear his lips with honey or sugar syrup, so that when this god goes to heaven to report on the behavior of his wards, only sweet speeches would flow from his lips.
• The New Year's meal is one of the most plentiful. In Wudang, on the eve of the holiday, pork sausage is prepared and hung outside to dry.

• Making dumplings with the whole family is an integral tradition. Many families make dumplings in the form of ancient money ingots, and a coin is placed in one of them. The year will be especially successful for the one who will get this surprise.

• There can be more than 20 dishes on the New Year's table. Among them, there must be fish, chicken, pork, beef, duck - often all dishes at the same time. In poor families, only one meat dish is put on the table, but no one touches it - to show the neighbors that they can afford it, and not to actually eat it.

• A typical New Year's gift is a hongbao, a red envelope with money, which in Hubei province is usually given as a gift to children or old people. The amount depends on the wealth of the giver and the status of the recipient. The older the person, the more money it is customary to give.

• On the first day of the new year, they visit each other. The Chinese give practical gifts: cigarettes, alcohol, large bottles of vegetable oil or packages with portion boxes of milk. No romance, but a lot of good.

• Chinese New Year is red. This is connected with the legend of the terrible monster Nian, crawling out on the last day of the old year, which is afraid of the color red. Red also symbolizes happiness and good luck. And thirdly, according to legend, people whose year comes in accordance with the Chinese cyclical calendar (the year of the Rat, Rabbit, Tiger, Ox, etc.) will have a difficult year. To scare away trouble and attract good luck, they are shown to wear red underwear., which appears in large quantities in stores on the eve of the New Year.

Some Russians may think that the Chinese New Year is completely meaningless. Wouldn't it be nice to drink a glass of vodka, eat Olivier and fall asleep on your face in a salad! Instead, the Chinese do everything completely wrong and wrong. So how do the Chinese celebrate the New Year?

What do the Chinese do on New Year's Eve?

So, Chinese New Year. Everything is decorated, everywhere there are huge companies, a sea of ​​food, rivers of booze, a cannonade of firecrackers and firecrackers, the rumble and hoot of drums. It seems that the Chinese are celebrating something there. But no! In fact, they are not much saved from untimely death and earn happiness in the coming year.

Why is everything red on Chinese New Year?

How is happiness earned? But how: so, the red color, lights, crackling and roar are needed to drive away monsters and demons, which, according to Chinese beliefs, are activated and want human beings just on New Year's Eve. For the same reason, the whole family should gather at home, because the monsters do not dare to enter houses where everything is in red and the smoke is like a rocker from fireworks. Therefore, even Chinese migrant workers leave their places (if they can afford it) and rush back to their hometowns and villages to cook and eat dumplings and fish, blow up firecrackers, set off fireworks, play majiang, hand out red envelopes with money, in in general, be saved and be happy.

Wickedness, according to Chinese beliefs, is especially activated on New Year's Eve.

To gain well-being, the Chinese believe, is possible with the help of this. In a sense, like attracts like, so if you hang an inverted hieroglyph 福 (fu), meaning “happiness”, “well-being”, on the doors of the house, then the desired well-being will certainly come, since the phrase “happiness has come” is almost identical in sound to the expression “happiness has turned over ".

Food, by the way, plays a decisive role in the process of earning happiness in China. So, New Year's Eve or the last day of the lunar year, the assembled family spends leisurely modeling Chinese jiaozi dumplings. The hieroglyph 角 (jiao) means "horn", once the traditional Chinese "coins" were called that, then this hieroglyph entered the designation of paper bills, and in modern conditions it means a tenth of the monetary unit (yuan). So, what is the right thing to do to have money in the new year? Of course, it would be right to eat them to satiety!

Another interpretation of the inseparable connection between dumplings and the new year says that "jiaozi" means a change of something, an alternation, so that when the year changes, you need to eat the food of the same name. In general, no matter how, no matter how, but jiaozi in any way appear on the New Year's table.
To enhance the lethal effect in the struggle for happiness, you can put a special filling in dumplings: to achieve longevity, and dried jujubes (like dates) to increase the male livestock in the family ... ( By the way, you can read about other types of Chinese dumplings, how they differ and how to cook them, you can read)

Zaozi Chinese dumplings are one of the must-have dishes of the Chinese New Year.

Another victim of the belief of the Chinese in homonyms - all Chinese fish to the very last carp. The poor fish managed to be called in Chinese "yu" (鱼), as well as "prosperity", "abundance" (also "yu", but written 余). And now the fish has to lie down on the New Year's table with an obligation unattainable in anything else in the world, because the Chinese want nothing in life more than abundance.

Fish is served in any form, but dishes whose names are effectively combined with the syllable "yu" are especially popular. For example, among the Chinese of Singapore and Malaysia, a kind of raw fish salad or slicing called "yusheng" (鱼生), which means something like "raw fish", is especially popular. The homonym yuisheng is the phrase 余升, meaning "prosperity and improvement / rise", "addition of wealth". Chinese families or groups of friends get together, usually on the 7th day of the new year (Chinese New Year lasts 15 days), and jointly add all the ingredients of the salad (fish, pomelo or lime, pepper, oil, carrots, radish, ground peanuts, etc.), saying with each new ingredient the appropriate wish, and then mix it with chopsticks, tossing the components as high as possible. The higher the lettuce soars, the greater the heights the Chinese will reach in the new year.

In case you want to celebrate the New Year in a Chinese way, we recommend the following recipes:

• Zaozi with pork

The Chinese New Year keeps the secrets of Eastern culture and is full of rites and rituals. In 2017 (the year of the Rooster), it will come on January 28 and will last as much as 15 days. What should you do during the Chinese New Year 2017 to bring happiness and prosperity to your home?

On the night of January 27-28, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire celebrate the New Year of the Rooster according to the Eastern calendar. Every year this date changes and depends on the lunar cycle, but New Year's rites remain unchanged. The Chinese believe that thanks to these rituals, love, peace and prosperity will reign in the house all next year.

1) On the eve of the New Year, decorate the house in red to protect all relatives from misfortune and sorrow. The red color, according to legend, protects from adversity, so on New Year's Eve it should prevail not only in the decor, but also in the clothes of all family members.


2) Set the festive table. Be sure to include tangerines and oranges among the dishes. It is important that the number of citrus fruits on the plate is paired. The most suitable option is eight fruits per bowl.


3) According to Chinese tradition, one of the most powerful rites that attracts well-being is a ritual called 108 oranges. On New Year's Eve, roll 108 oranges (about 30 kg) into your apartment so that they get into all the rooms. And enjoy the "orange carpet" throughout the day. Raise fruits from time to time, while repeating - "love to the house", "money to the house", "luck to the house", etc. After 24 hours, give oranges to friends and family, make jam, make fresh juice, or just eat. In Eastern cultures, 108 is considered a sacred number, so such a rite must necessarily bring harmony and prosperity.

4) There is another ceremony that can be performed on the eve of New Year's Eve. It will help bring money into the house. You need to take a red sheet of paper and a green marker or paint. Write the amount you want to earn in the coming year, then glue a 10 kopeck coin and paint the sheet with images of banknotes and coins. After that, roll the drawing into a scroll, wrap it with gold and red ribbon and hide it in a secluded place.

5) Material well-being will bring another rite. You need to prepare for it. Sew a small bag of red fabric. On New Year's Eve, cover it with coins, having washed them in advance under running water. So you wash away someone else's energy from money. Tie the bag with red and gold ribbon and place it in the most beautiful non-metal bowl. Fill the bag with rice, and then transfer the "source of money" to the southeastern part of the apartment and leave it in the corner of the room.

The main thing to remember is that the Chinese New Year is another reason to gather the whole family at the same table and wish each other happiness, love and harmony.

What is cooked for the Chinese New Year 2017 - the year of the Rooster: recipes

The traditional dishes of the Chinese New Year's table are very symbolic, but this symbolism is often understood only by the Chinese themselves. Most New Year's dishes have a "karmic" purpose, are dedicated to deities and serve to bring good luck to the house.

For example, jiaozi dumplings are a popular New Year's dish in northern China, and the name of the dish sounds the same as the phrase "seeing off the old and meeting the new." A coin is hidden in one of the dumplings, and the one who gets it will be a successful person.

Soup with dumplings and noodles, popular in southern China, symbolizes long life, so the noodles should be eaten whole, not crushed.

Chicken and fish, cooked whole, symbolize prosperity, duck - fidelity, eggs - fertility, oranges - good luck.


Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings)

INGREDIENTS:

400 g minced meat
200 g fresh dill
1 pc large onion
50g fresh ginger (approx 4-5cm)
2 tbsp wheat flour
1/3 tbsp starch
1 tbsp cold water
salt, pepper to taste

COOKING

Prepare the dough: mix flour with starch, sift into a bowl. Gradually adding cold water, knead a homogeneous dough.

Prepare the filling: add finely chopped dill, very finely chopped onion and grated ginger root to the minced meat. Salt and pepper to taste and stir.

Divide the dough into small pieces, roll out the cakes. In the center of each cake, put a spoonful of filling (if the cakes are smaller - a teaspoon, more - a tablespoon). Gently lift the edges of the dough up and fold like a flower, pinching a little. Do not forget to put a coin in the last dumpling (wash thoroughly with soda before this)!

Jiaozi is cooked for 15-20 minutes in a double boiler or simply boiled in salted water in small portions.

YU-SHEN (salad of happiness, wealth and good luck)

INGREDIENTS:

300 g fresh salmon
1 piece ripe avocado
1 pc sweet red pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 piece carrot
1 piece fresh cucumber
1/4 cup sweet pickled ginger
2 tbsp sesame
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 bunch green onions

For sauce:

1 tsp lemon juice
tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 tbsp plum wine
1 grapefruit

COOKING

Cut the avocado into strips and put a slide on a small dish

Cut the carrots, sweet peppers and cucumber into strips and lay them in a pile on a dish.

Peel the grapefruit from the veins and skin, divide each slice into 4 parts and put it in a slide on a dish.

Place ginger in the center of the dish.

Roast the sesame and peanuts. Chop the peanuts lightly.

Freeze the fish a little first, remove from the freezer and cut into slices about 1x5 cm in size. Place on a dish on top of the ginger.

Sprinkle vegetables with half of the sesame seeds and peanuts.

Prepare the sauce: In a bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, pepper and wine.

IMPORTANT! Each of those present at the table should take the device and all together slowly mix the salad, and alternately raising each ingredient as high as possible and saying the traditional wish of good luck "Lo hey"! Mix well and pour dressing over salad. Then sprinkle with the remaining peanuts and sesame seeds. Sprinkle the salad with chopped green onions.

SIHU CUYU (fish in sweet and sour sauce)

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole fish (carp, sea bass)
1.5 liters of water
3 tbsp chopped ginger
1 green onion, finely chopped
70 ml rice vinegar (white or black)
4 tbsp cane sugar (can be substituted with regular sugar)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (can be substituted with sake or sherry)
2 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt
cilantro leaves
sesame oil - 1 tsp

COOKING

Wash the fish, remove the scales and remove the gills. With a knife, make 2-4 cuts obliquely on each side of the carcass.

Boil 1.5 liters of water with onions and ginger in a saucepan. There should be enough water to completely cover the fish. Boil the fish, without turning, for 8-10 minutes, then drain the water.

Boil half a liter of water (you can use the water in which the fish was cooked) or chicken broth. Add soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Heat over low heat until sugar dissolves.

Mix wine and starch, add the mixture to the sauce. Mix thoroughly to avoid the formation of lumps. Remove saucepan from heat and season with salt to taste (you can add black pepper to taste).

Put the fish on a dish and pour over the sauce, garnish with cilantro leaves. Drizzle sesame oil on top. By the way, the dish can also be sprinkled with 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic.

As in Russia, the New Year's menu in China is plentiful and varied. But there are traditional dishes that the festive table cannot do without: the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire believe that this food will bring them health and prosperity. About what is customary to serve on the New Year's table in China tells actor Dong Chan, who starred in the comedy How I Became Russian (premiere in Russia February 7, 2019). By the way, Dong Chan, like the rest of the Chinese, will meet not 2019, but 4717. “We celebrate the New Year for 15 days, but the main ─ the festive table is set on New Year's Eve. According to legend, at this time, an evil monster came to Chinese villages, ruined crops and terrorized the inhabitants. To protect themselves, people hid in houses, pasted over them with red paper with wishes of good luck and prosperity, prepared food for offerings to ancestors and gods. Monsters are no longer shown, but traditions have been preserved: before the holiday, all family members get together and cook food. Before that, a general cleaning is carried out in the house in order to “sweep out” all the bad things from the house, and red scrolls with the hieroglyph “happiness” are hung up.

China is a huge country, and each province has its own cuisine, but there are a few dishes that are most often found on the table. What is this?

Spring rolls

“I grew up in South China and we always have spring rolls for New Years. These rolls are called "spring" because for us the celebration of the New Year coincides with the Holiday of Spring and Renewal. Spring rolls are shaped like gold bars and symbolize prosperity and health. The dough for them is made from water, flour and salt, and you can put whatever you like most in the filling. I like traditional rolls with pork, shiitake mushrooms and carrots. But you can make them vegetable or even sweet. They are prepared simply: put 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the “pancake”, fold them and fix the edges with protein. And then fry until golden brown. Probably, they are somewhat reminiscent of Russian pancakes.

Jiaozi

“These are dumplings that are especially loved in Northern China. Jiaozi symbolize the transition of the old year into the new. When you roll such a dumpling, you seem to “pack” yourself with good luck, health and a prosperous life in the new year. The dough here is the simplest, and the stuffing is stuffed with minced meat, cabbage and various spices, sometimes canned bamboo shoots as a symbol that everything you want can be achieved. There is another tradition: put a coin in one of the dumplings. Whoever finds it will be especially lucky in the new year. And in some families they put a white thread inside: whoever comes across such a dumpling will live a long life. The whole family is involved in making dumplings.”

Jiaozi recipe

For test: 3 cups cornmeal 1/2 cup hot water 1/3 cup cold water 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

For filling: beef pulp - 500 g, Beijing cabbage - 400 g, green onion - 50 g, grated ginger root - 1 tbsp. l., soy sauce - 1 tsp., ground black pepper.

Cooking
Pass the beef and cabbage through a meat grinder, finely chop the onion. Mix everything, add ginger, ground pepper, soy sauce. Pour the flour into a bowl, make a depression in the center, into which pour water ─ first hot (boiling water), then cold. Add oil. The dough must be well kneaded. Roll out the dough into a tourniquet and cut into small pieces, roll each into a cake. Put the minced meat on the cakes, moisten the edges of the dough with water and form small “bags”, gently squeezing the dough over the filling. Steam dumplings for 20-30 minutes and serve with soy sauce.

Fish

“In Chinese, fish sounds like “excess, abundance,” and the Chinese are very fond of when they manage to save something by the end of the year. In my family, crucian carp, Chinese carp or catfish are cooked on this day. The fish is steamed, fried or stewed. It is served whole, because if you cut it into pieces, it will mean the same thing as breaking family ties. The first half of the fish is eaten for lunch on the eve of the New Year, and the second - the next day, to ensure a prosperous future. Fish should be eaten according to special rules: the fish head should lie towards the most honorable family members, the fish should not be moved around the table and cut with a knife. Those to whom the fish's head and tail are facing drink at the table at the same time - this brings good luck. When we eat fish, we say: "Let you have everything you need."

Chinese fried carp recipe

Ingredients: soy sauce ─ 1 tbsp. spoon, carp ─ 1 kg, ginger ─ 2 g, sesame ─ 1 tbsp. spoon, chili pepper ─ 3 pcs., white wine vinegar ─ 1 tbsp. spoon, salt, ground black pepper, vegetable oil to taste, cilantro sprig, garlic clove, 1 lime, coconut milk ─ 2 tbsp. l., sugar ─ 1 tsp.

Cooking
Pat the fish dry with paper towels and place on foil. Salt, pepper on both sides, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Make the marinade: chop 1 chili pepper and cilantro, mince a clove of garlic and 1 cm of ginger root. Sprinkle the fish with the mixture. Drizzle with the juice of one lime, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 tablespoons coconut milk. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar, wrap tightly in foil and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. At this time, mix 2 cm of grated ginger root, 2 crushed chilies, 80 ml of soy sauce, vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Serve fish with sauce.

Noodles

“On New Year's Eve we eat very long noodles because they symbolize longevity. Noodles are either fried and served on plates, or boiled and served with broth. The ingredients for it are also selected taking into account the needs of each family. For example, shrimp is wealth and good fortune, fish is prosperity, tofu is happiness for the whole family, pork is peace, eggs are a big and healthy family.”

Longevity Noodles Recipe

Ingredients: 225 g thin long wheat noodles (or brown rice noodles), 2 tbsp. l. sesame oil, 3 small garlic cloves finely chopped, 1-2 tbsp. l. soy sauce, sea salt and ground white pepper to taste, sesame seeds.

Cooking
Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Season with salt and add the noodles, stir and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water. Transfer to a large serving dish and set aside. Whisk together sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix well. Season to taste with salt, pepper or soy sauce. Serve immediately, sprinkled with green onions and sesame seeds.

Chick

“Chicken on the New Year's table is a symbol of rebirth and renewal. It is also served on the table as a whole, and above all - to the elders. The main breadwinners of the family need to eat chicken legs, this will help them succeed in life. Chicken wings help to fly higher, and they are given to the younger generation and youth, and the bones mean outstanding achievements - they are given to the head of the family.

Chinese Chicken Recipe

Ingredients: chicken carcass, onion head, 5 cloves of garlic, vegetable oil ─ 250 ml, sugar ─ 2 tsp, salt ─ 2 tsp, a pinch of cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, ground nutmeg.

Cooking
Toast the cloves, black peppercorns and coriander in a hot, dry frying pan. Grind the heated spices with a teaspoon of salt. Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Coat the chicken with the seasoning mixture inside and out. Place a whole peeled onion inside. Then put the chicken in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 5 hours.

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan, cauldron or wok and lower the chicken back down into it. Fry until golden brown. Then turn the chicken over and repeat the procedure, constantly pouring the same oil. As soon as the chicken is covered with a golden crust on all sides, remove it from the pan, drain the oil so that it remains completely at the bottom in the pan, throw 5 crushed cloves of garlic to the bottom, and then pour 0.5 liters of hot boiled water there. Bring the water to a boil, add salt and sugar to taste so that you get a salty-sweet broth. Place the chicken in the broth, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Before serving, garnish the chicken with basil or parsley leaves.

Niangao

“These are rice cakes or muffins. Nian is “year” and gao is “high”. Figuratively speaking, such a dish is a wish for success and “flying high” in the coming year, so treats are often given to friends and relatives. Today there are many options on how and from what to cook nyangao. They are fried or, for example, made with vegetables and meat, but the classic niangao is glutinous rice, cane sugar, water, milk and eggs.”

Niangao recipe

Ingredients: glutinous rice flour ─ 120 g, 1 egg, cane sugar ─ 50 g, dried fruits ─ 50 g, milk ─ 2 tbsp. l., water ─ 70 g.

Cooking
Bring water to a boil, dissolve sugar in it and cool. Add flour, egg and milk. Stir until the dough becomes homogeneous. Grind dried fruits and add them to the dough. Put it in an oiled mold. Steam or bake the cake for 40-50 minutes and sprinkle with sugar before serving.

Yu-shen salad

“It is believed that if you eat it on New Year's Eve, the year will be happy. They put whatever they want in a salad ─ it can have more than 20 ingredients, but, of course, each has its own meaning. Raw fish (salmon or herring) is a must, along with daikon (health and youth), carrots (luck), turnips, paprika, red pickled ginger, parsley, dried oranges, shrimp crackers, and more.”

Yu-shen salad recipe

Ingredients: fresh red fish ─ 300 g, 1 avocado, 1 sweet red pepper, 1 sweet green pepper, 1 carrot, 1 fresh cucumber, sweet pickled ginger ─ 1/4 cup, sesame ─ 2 tbsp. l., roasted peanuts ─ 1/4 cup, half a bunch of green onions.

For the sauce: lemon juice - 1 tsp, olive oil - 4 tbsp. l., white pepper ─ 1/2 tsp, plum wine ─ 3 tbsp. l., 1 grapefruit.

Cooking
We cut everything into small strips and put them in slides on a large dish. Grapefruit must be cleaned of veins and divided into 4 parts. Put the ginger in the middle of the plate. Cut the fish into slices approximately 1x5 cm in size and spread on the ginger. Roast the sesame and peanuts in a dry frying pan, lightly crush the peanuts.

Prepare the sauce - mix oil, wine, lemon juice, add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle vegetables and other salad ingredients. Then everyone present takes a device (sticks or fork), and together they must mix the salad, alternately raising each ingredient as high as possible and saying the traditional wish for good luck. Sprinkle the salad with peanuts, sesame seeds and green onions.

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In China, on February 16, the year 4716 came, and the celebration of the New Year according to the Lunar calendar will not last a month, as was customary among the Chinese before, but only 15 days. The Year of the Yellow Earth Dog will last until February 4, 2019.

When is the Lunar New Year?

The second new moon after the winter solstice will come on February 16, 2018 at 17:13 Kyiv time or at 23:13 Beijing time. This time will be considered the beginning of the New Year according to the Eastern calendar.

Where and how to celebrate Chinese New Year 2018

The Chinese New Year is a great occasion not only to please loved ones with gifts and pleasant surprises, but also to gather the whole family for a festive evening meal. And given that the mistress of the year - the Dog - teaches to honor traditions, to be the keeper of the family hearth, and the element of the Earth symbolizes abundance, fertility and rebirth, the best option for celebrating the New Year would be to stay at home.

On February 16, 2018, it is better to be exclusively in the circle of the closest people. The Chinese identify this day with the unity of all relatives and the reunion of the family. In order for the year to be successful, you need to observe this tradition. Then the yellow earthen Dog during the entire period of his reign will protect from troubles, granting happy moments.

Do not forget to once again tell your relatives that you love and appreciate them. In other words, the holiday should take place almost according to the classic scenario of the traditional New Year, only in miniature.

Story

Another name for the New Year according to the lunisolar Chinese calendar is Chunjie, which means the Spring Festival. The Chinese gave it this name after Western culture spread throughout Asia. Prior to this, the holiday was celebrated in ancient China for several thousand years. Its history comes from the rites of sacrifice and the cult of commemoration of ancestors. The first mention of the holiday is associated with the era of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC). It has long been a tradition that the Chinese give money a red envelope with money to every child who enters the house.

Holiday mythology

The celebration of the Chinese New Year is associated with the myth of the terrible horned beast Nian. An ancient legend tells that he lived at sea for a whole year. Only once Nian got out of there, ate all the cattle, food supplies and scared the villagers away. According to legend, the beast is afraid of the color red. In some versions of the legends, a child acts as a savior of local residents from a fierce monster, according to other versions, it was a wise old man.

All legends agree that only a plentiful table that can satiate an uninvited guest gives a guarantee of peace of mind from the beast, so the Chinese try to prepare the best treats during the celebration so that in an emergency there is enough for themselves and the Nanny. Another way to deal with an uninvited guest is to hang up red inscriptions with the wishes of happiness and the golden image of the character Fu, meaning “welfare”.

What date is Chinese New Year 2018

In 2018, China's Oriental Spring Festival will come late when winter ends. Its date is February 16, the second winter new moon after the solstice. In China, there will be two weeks of public holidays. Russians often combine two New Year holidays, and from December 31, congratulations and gifts will begin, which will often be the talisman of next year.

Symbol of Chinese New Year 2018

According to the Chinese horoscope, each year corresponds to a patron belonging to one of the four elements (fire, water, earth, air). The patron of 2018 is the earth dog. She will be replaced by the fiery Rooster, who adorned 2018 with bright passions, which took the place of the Fire Monkey in its first lunar cycle. The dog will bring peace and tranquility to all areas of life from February 2018.

How is New Year celebrated in China?

Previously, the Chinese celebrated the New Year according to the lunar calendar for almost a month. Only the bustling regime of the country's business life was forced to shorten the time of the long-awaited celebration. Ancient traditions require members of large families to meet together with their parents at the festive table. It is believed that the dead ancestors celebrate the triumph together with the living. Hence there is another name for the holiday - "Meeting after parting."

What Not to Do on Chinese New Year

• In China, it is not customary to give gifts wrapped in paper or packaged in a blue and white box. These colors are considered a symbol of mourning.
• Also, the number “4” should not be present anywhere during the celebration of the New Year - it personifies death.
• It is unacceptable to present a present to the addressee in the presence of others. This process is very personal and should be done in private. In this case, the gift is transferred not with one, but with two hands.
• Any gift must be in the form of paired items. For example, if you give a figurine of the symbol of the year, there should be two of them.
• During the festive feast, it is not customary to talk about the past year. All thoughts and conversations should be directed to the future.
• When choosing an outfit for a holiday, in no case should you combine black and white. Neither together nor separately. Black is a symbol of failure, and white is the color of mourning.
• On the first three days of the Chinese New Year, the house cannot be cleaned. Good deities appear in all houses during the New Year, give happiness and good luck, which settle in the form of dust.
• After the onset of the Chinese New Year, you can not buy shoes, so as not to cause trouble. The fact is that the word “shoes” in Chinese is consonant with the Chinese “difficult”.
• In the first month after the onset of the Chinese New Year, you can’t cut your hair, otherwise failures will fall like an avalanche on your uncle from my mother’s side.
• In the early days of the New Year celebration, one should not use knives and other sharp objects, so as not to cut off one's happiness.
• Washing your hair during the New Year holidays means washing away luck.
• You can’t say the word “four” because in Chinese it has another meaning: “death.”
• It is also impossible to celebrate the New Year in bed, otherwise you will lie like this all year.
• Quarrel, sort things out, swear, shout and swear. Otherwise, wait for you good luck until next year.
• Borrow money. You have to give away all the money you borrowed.

How to Attract Good Luck on Chinese New Year 2018

On the festive table should be tangerines and oranges. The golden or orange color of these fruits symbolize happiness and wealth. And if they are with leaves, then this means a long relationship and the birth of children.

Be sure to make noise, launch fireworks, light sparklers, blow up firecrackers. Noise and uproar drives away evil spirits, which activate their forces before the new year.

For the year to be successful, there must be fresh flowers in the house.

It is necessary to distribute red envelopes with money to children. In this way, parents pass on good luck and wealth to the next generation.

Like attracts like, so the Chinese decorate their homes with symbols of good luck, health and happiness.

It is necessary to open a window or a door at midnight so that the old year can leave and the new year can enter.

All decorations in the house should be paired so that you are not left alone. It is advisable to do everything from red paper.

Dishes for celebrating Chinese New Year

Of course, in many ways this is just a beautiful legend, but does the legend prevent us from once again mentally thanking the past year for all the good that it brought, and dreaming about what the next one will bring? Chinese New Year is family gatherings, gifts and surprises, laughter and smiles and, of course, delicious food, which is traditionally plentiful on this day, which is varied and interesting, beautiful and attractive. Let's think about what we can cook for the Chinese New Year, how we will surprise guests and relatives, what new culinary horizons we will open for ourselves this time.

Yu Sheng is not just a salad. This is a traditional Chinese dish that is prepared for the New Year: it is believed that those who tasted it during the festive feast will definitely be successful in the next 365 days, because the salad brings good luck and prosperity. Worth a try, even if you don't believe in omens.

In general, yu-shen is a kind of constructor that everyone puts together based on their own taste preferences. Some recipes suggest including up to 30 ingredients in this salad, each of which is responsible for “its own” bonuses: carrots bring good luck, fish - money, peanuts - gold, radish - health and youth. Let's get by with a reasonable minimum - and it will still be tasty and unusual.

Ingredients:

• 300 g fresh red fish (salmon, trout);
• 1 avocado;
• 1 cucumber;
• 2 sweet bell peppers;
• 1 carrot;
• 50 g pickled ginger;
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts;
• 2-3 green onion feathers;
• juice of half a lemon;
• 3-4 st. l. olive oil;
• 2 tbsp. l. plum wine;
• 1 grapefruit;
• 1 st. l. sesame;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Each of the components is cut into small strips and stacked in slides on a large dish. We release the grapefruit from the films, sesame and peanuts are pre-fried in a dry frying pan.

Separately, prepare the sauce - mix oil, wine, lemon juice, add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle vegetables and other salad ingredients.
When serving, all participants in the feast take chopsticks in their hands and collectively mix the salad, while saying: “Lo hey!”, Which literally translates as a wish for good luck in the New Year.

Tip: don't be afraid to experiment, yu-shen is more of a serving idea than a strict recipe, so you can feel free to add whatever seems appropriate and appropriate to the dish.

Oriental cuisine pleases with spices, a competent combination of seasonings. Pork in sweet and sour sauce is, in fact, a rather simple dish that cannot be called festive, however, it is the accompanying bouquet of ginger, garlic, soy sauce and some other components that turns it into a small culinary masterpiece that is not ashamed to put on the table on the eve New Year.

Ingredients:

• 500 g pork fillet;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 2 sweet peppers;
• 1 chili pepper;
• a piece of ginger root (about 2 cm);
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• 2 tbsp. l. rice vinegar;
• 1/3 cup of water;
• 2 tbsp. l. starch;
• 3 art. l. Sahara.

We cut the pork fillet into square “petals” - up to 3 mm thick, about 2x2 cm in size. Mix with half the soy sauce, add finely chopped garlic. Let marinate for half an hour.

In the meantime, we are engaged in vegetables - cut the pepper into cubes (the size tends to be the size of the meat petals). Carrots - in circles (with a special craving for aesthetics, you can cut them into the same cubes as pepper-meat). Chili without seeds - the thinnest stripes. Ginger - narrow long sticks. Onions - free-form petals (better, of course, squares - if you are ready for waste, create beauty).

Prepare the sauce - mix the remaining soy sauce, add vinegar, sugar and starch, previously mixed with water.

In a wide frying pan (wok - ideal), heat the oil, quickly fry the onion over medium heat - it should not become soft and golden, you just need a little lightening and elimination of bitterness. Add carrots, wait a couple more minutes, then add sweet pepper and chili. At the end, add ginger.

We transfer the finished vegetables to a separate (temporary bowl), put the meat in the pan. Fry over medium heat until tender - due to the fact that you cut it thinly, a couple of minutes is enough. We return the vegetables, fry for another 3-5 minutes, then add the sauce (do not forget to stir it again beforehand), with constant stirring, fry until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat, arrange on plates and serve.

Tip: To make meat easier to cut, you should first freeze it in the freezer.

marble eggs

Marble eggs are a traditional Chinese dish that is eaten on ordinary days and is always prepared for the New Year: they symbolize gold nuggets, so most people tend to decorate the holiday table with this simple snack. It is prepared, by the way, very, very simply. It turns out original and beautiful.

Ingredients:

• 10 chicken eggs;
• 4 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
• 2 tbsp. l. good black tea;
• 2 star anise;
• 1 cinnamon stick;
• 3 cloves;
• 1 tsp fennel;
• 1/4 tsp dry hot pepper;
• 1 st. l. orange peel.

Put the eggs at room temperature in a saucepan, pour water - the liquid should cover them by 2 cm. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, boil for 3 minutes, after which we take out the eggs and place them in cold water, and put everything in the saucepan in which they were cooked spices.

Gently beat the eggshell with a spoon over the entire surface of the egg so as not to damage the air sac, which is usually located at the "base" of the egg. We try to make the cracks uniform and not very large.

Gently put the eggs back into the pan, bring to a boil again, reduce the heat and, covering with a lid, cook for another half hour. After that, turn off the gas and leave the eggs in the water for 5-10 hours.
We clean and serve.

Tip: if possible, replace black tea with pu-erh - it is he who is used in the authentic recipe and gives the finished eggs a special aroma and flavor.

Few people, of course, will bother making a fire and grilling meat in winter, however, if you are among those who are ready to go to any test for a delicious dinner in any weather and under any circumstances, urgently take the recipe into service: it is unrealistically delicious !

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken carcasses (weighing up to 600 g each);
• 1 st. l. Sahara;
• 2 cinnamon sticks;
• 3 star anise;
• 2 cloves;
• 1 st. l. fennel seeds;
• 1 st. l. cumin seeds;
• 1 small chili pepper;
• 1 bunch of green onions;
• 1 bunch of cilantro;
• a piece of ginger about 3 cm long;
• 2 liters of water;
• salt, black pepper to taste.

My chickens, dry, cut off the excess, set aside.

We roast the seeds and spices in a dry frying pan until the aroma of spices appears. Put in a saucepan, add water, salt and sugar. Cut the ginger into thin sticks, add to other spices. We also spread thin rings of chili pepper there, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and cool completely.

We spread the chickens in a cold marinade, add finely chopped green onions. Put in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

We kindle coals on the grill. As soon as they are ready, we take the chickens out of the marinade, carefully shake off all the spices, put them on a double grill, press them tightly and fry on the coals, turning over so that the meat does not burn. Readiness is checked by cutting the meat and looking at the juice: it should be completely transparent.

Serve immediately, generously sprinkled with green onions, cilantro, chili peppers.

Tip: try to time it so that by the time the chicken is ready, the guests are already sitting at the table and ready to eat as soon as you serve a delicious dish from the fire. Chilled chicken is fine too, but compared to its hot version, it's just a pathetic excuse for a holiday meal.

Pelmeni is a rather labor-intensive thing, and therefore it is usually prepared on holidays. However, this is good: just imagine that you can eat this dish every day - will it remain loved and desired? Of course no! However, if it suddenly happens that you still start to get bored with dumplings, try to cook their Chinese counterpart. It's interesting!
By the way, the word "jiaozi" means "something related to change, alternation, period." That is why the Oriental New Year is an obligatory occasion to cook Chinese dumplings.

Dough Ingredients:

• about 500 g flour;
• 1 glass of water;
• 1 tsp salt.

Filling Ingredients:

• 500 g pork tenderloin;
• 300 g of Beijing cabbage;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 bunch of parsley;
• a small piece of ginger root (about 1 cm);
• 50 ml soy sauce;
• salt, pepper to taste.

From water, salt and flour, knead an elastic, non-sticky, rather steep dough. Round, wrap in a bag, leave to rest.

In the meantime, we are working on the filling. Using a sharp knife, chop the meat - the smaller the pieces, the tastier the dumplings. Shred the cabbage, wring it out so that it becomes soft, spread it to the pork. We also rub ginger there, spread the chopped parsley, pour in soy sauce, add salt and pepper. Mix well.

We roll the dough into a tourniquet, cut into cubes. We round each block, roll it into a thin cake. We put the filling in the center, fasten the edges - you can do it in the Chinese style (forming beautiful consecutive folds), you can use a bag, you can do it as you like.

Jiaozi is prepared in three different ways, you can choose the one that you like best: boil in a large amount of water, steam, fry in butter in a pan, and then, adding a little water there, bring it to readiness under the lid.

Tip: jiaozi is always served with sauces - based on sesame oil, wine vinegar, green onions, soy sauce. Experiment and compose, it will be delicious!

Rice noodles with shrimp

From the outside, Chinese cuisine seems quite picturesque and exotic, but in fact it is simple and fast: even on holidays, preference is given to recipes that can be implemented in a matter of minutes. Shrimp noodles are wonderful both because they are incredibly tasty and because they are prepared quickly and easily.

Ingredients:

• 200 g rice noodles;
• 200 g shrimp;
• 200 g of sea cocktail;
• 1 onion;
• 1 bell pepper;
• 1 carrot;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 cm ginger root;
• 2 tbsp. l. sesame oil;
• 2 tbsp. l. lemon juice;
• 1 bunch of parsley;
• soy sauce, salt, pepper to taste.

Pour defrosted shrimp and sea cocktail with lemon juice, add soy sauce, leave to marinate for 30-60 minutes.

According to the instructions, we prepare rice noodles (depending on the manufacturer and thickness, you must either simply pour boiling water over it or boil it for 2-5 minutes).

In sesame oil over medium heat, fry the onion cut into half rings for a minute, then add the carrot straws, after a couple of minutes add the bell pepper straws. When the vegetables become soft, add seafood, fry everything together for about five minutes, squeeze the garlic at the end, add the grated ginger root and chopped herbs.

Stir, spread rice noodles, mix again, if desired, add soy sauce and serve.

Tip: depending on regional characteristics and personal preferences, pineapples, celery, eggs, Chinese cabbage, green onions are added to this dish - if you wish, you can also enrich the standard shrimp noodle recipe with your own ideas.

Well, yes, this is not a dessert that can be prepared in advance - apples in caramel are being prepared now for now. If you are categorically opposed to paying a little attention to cooking on New Year's Eve, make some kind of cake in advance or bake fortune cookies. If the soul does not resist the fact that during the holiday a little conjure in the kitchen, be sure to cook apples in caramel - they say you can even guess on them. However, it is better not to waste time and just enjoy - it is unusually tasty.

Ingredients:

• 2 large apples;
• 180 g of sugar;
• 2 tbsp. l. water;
• 1 egg;
• 5 st. l. flour;
• 1 st. l. sesame;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil for batter + oil for frying.

Drying the sesame seeds.
Mix until completely homogeneous egg, water, 4 tbsp. l. flour. The batter will be watery, as it should be.

We clean the apples, cut into arbitrary pieces of relatively the same size. Roll in the remaining flour.

Heat up oil for frying. Dip each piece of apples into the dough and put in boiling oil (fire - less than medium). Fry on all sides, spread on disposable towels.

When all the apples are fried, make caramel. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, then add sugar. On a fire, slightly less than medium, wait until the sugar begins to melt, then mix. As soon as the mass becomes completely homogeneous, remove from heat, quickly put all the apples into the pan, mix even faster - so all the pieces should be in a thin caramel crust. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. We shift to a plate, slightly greased with a thin layer of vegetable oil (do not neglect - they will stick!).

Tip: hot caramel apples are usually served with a bowl filled with ice water. Those who sit at the table tear off a piece of caramelized apple, quickly dip it into cold water and only then eat: this is how the liquid cools the delicious dessert, which is very easy to burn.

5 ideas for celebrating Chinese New Year

1. Nian, who every year is engaged in fighting evil animals (yes, just those that add up the horoscope), is afraid of the color red - which is why the Chinese decorate houses and streets with red lanterns. Would you like to follow their example? In serving, by the way, it is also important to observe the color scheme adopted for this holiday. Red and gold must be present in table textiles, napkins, candles. Don't neglect this moment.
2. The Chinese love omens - they often try to hide coins in food. The finder will soon be rich. We recommend not to forget to cook jiaozi dumplings with coins - even if a couple of rich people will definitely appear in your environment.
3. At that moment, when Time rolls the clock from the old year to the new one, it is customary for the Chinese to open windows and doors - to release all the troubles of the outgoing year without hindrance and give way to all the positive that the new one brings with it. Just in case, do not forget to follow the advice and let the negativity and problems go into the past.
4. In China, on this day they give surprises packed in red paper (remember that red scares Nian, right?), And, as a rule, they pack money, expensive delicacies and homemade cakes. Can you handle the last item as a gift?
5. There is a tradition according to which, on the seventh day of the New Year, people prepare a special drink consisting of various fruits and vegetables: this is said to guarantee a rich harvest and bring good luck. Modify the tradition - make a festive punch or brew homemade mulled wine: this, of course, is not a drink made from vegetables, but as an alternative - very, very nothing.

What to give for Chinese New Year

If you are going to celebrate the New Year with Chinese friends or just decide to make a holiday with the theme of the Middle Kingdom, consider the intricacies of giving gifts. A few tips:

It is best if the gift box is gold or red. These colors are considered symbols of good luck and wealth.
The Chinese are a very practical nation, in which it is believed that gifts must be beneficial. Feel free to donate household appliances, clothes, food in honor of the holiday.
Necklaces, belts, ties given to a Chinese friend or girlfriend can be understood as an allusion to the desire for intimacy.
Don't come to wish a Chinese family a Happy New Year if they had a funeral less than a month ago. According to legend, this portends many funerals in the near future.
When giving money, have the amount of money include the number 8. Eight is a Chinese lucky number.
Gift money must be new. Old banknotes are a sign of disrespect.
When giving and receiving a gift, it is better to use two hands - this will show respect for the process and traditions.

P According to the Chinese calendar, the New Year begins between January 21 and the end of February. It is believed that winter ends immediately in this case, it gets warmer, and nature begins to awaken. For this reason, hopes for health, grace and prosperity have long been associated with the Spring Festival.

What to gift?

On the Chinese New Year, exterior items with oriental symbols are often presented - jewelry boxes, balls to calm the nerves. In addition, gifts with meaning are presented - Feng Shui candles, designed to significantly improve life; a cup of wealth; accounts that give success in business; bells to clean the room from bad energy; hourglass, ordering thoughts.

It is important to think over the number of presents for absolutely all guests: they usually give either absolutely everyone, or not a single person.

Another idea for a present, borrowed from Chinese families, is an envelope with red money. Instead of real cash, it is possible to put a souvenir coin for good luck. Comrades and family members are also given classic sweets, tea, pies, seeds, fruits and flowers. There is also a custom to bring wine as a present. It should be wrapped in high-quality silk and tied with a ribbon with a tassel. On the Chinese New Year, warm items are usually presented that represent integrity and home harmony. An excellent present has every chance of being, for example, two vases, two mugs or two bottles of wine.

And in order to eliminate unpleasant situations in which presents are not enough, prepare Chinese nian-gao rice cookies. It is very appetizing and is considered an adorable treat for both children and adults, for this reason it can be an extremely cute present. A couple of tangerines is a mandatory present for the Chinese New Year. If you go to visit, be sure to take a couple of tangerines with you for each family member! The sound of the word "mandarin" is commensurate with the sound of the phrase "gold" in Chinese, for this reason, bringing tangerines as a present, you conditionally present gold. In return for your present, the owners of the house will also present you with a couple of tangerines.

Gifts for the elderly

Instead of alcohol and cigarettes, it is more correct for older people to make a gift in the form of a hat, gloves, stole or clothes.
If a person is closely acquainted with an elderly person, then you can donate a massage brush, massage foot bath or other thing.

In classical Chinese medicine, massage is a simple and productive method to maintain health for many years. A brush can be used to massage the head, and a foot bath can be used to improve circulation in the legs.

Gifts for children

A New Year's present for children is obliged to express wishes to grow up strong and quick-witted. During the Chinese New Year, bring treats with you: you can please the kids you meet.

If there are children in the family, do not forget to prepare a number of classic red envelopes. Both family members and children will be happy that you understand their traditions.

You can give the kids a nice gift by visiting with school supplies, for example, attractive pencils, notebooks or a set of brushes (in case the kids are creative).
Books that coincide with the interests of children, for example, a reference book or the works of a famous world classic, can also be recommended as a present: this will be your ideal contribution to his future.

Toys of the highest quality will be a great present for your friends' child. For example, a Barbie doll for a little girl or a remote-controlled car for a little boy. Chess or other similar games will be an excellent gift for a child.
If you are very close to a Chinese surname, then you can buy a set of children's clothes as a present: it will be very practical.

What doesn't need to be presented?

Any present - expensive or inexpensive, with or without meaning is always a pleasure. However, the Chinese approach the choice of a present very carefully and selectively. If you want to make a gift to a close friend from China, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the main taboos in order to exclude an uncomfortable situation and not spoil the solemn mood for both him and yourself. So, on Chinese New Year you should not give: gifts in the shape of an egg (the problem is that in Chinese the term "testicle" is used in many curses and for this reason is not a completely decent gift), weapons or imitation weapons watches ( the term "clock" (in Chinese "zhong") in Chinese is very similar in sound to the word "death"), snow-white or yellowish flowers, since these colors are the colors of mourning, the Chinese, as a rule, bring them to the cemetery. Remember these tips so you don't look ridiculous.