Traditional Food for Spring Festival 春节传统美食

腊八粥
Laba Congee
“腊八节”。这一天在中国民间有吃腊八粥的习俗。喝腊八粥在我国已有千年历史。
For a thousand years, it has been customary to eat Laba Congee during the Laba Festival in China.
腊，在远古时代本是一种祭礼的名称，夏朝称“清祀”，殷商称“嘉平”，周朝时改称“腊”。“腊”是从“猎”字演变而来，故“腊”“猎”相通。因为一岁之终，农作物已收晒完毕，农闲了，人们便到野外猎取禽兽，用来祭祖先、敬百神，以祈福求寿、避灾迎祥，称之为“腊祭”。
In ancient times, the character La meant a sacrificial rite which was called Qingsi in the Xia Dynasty and Jiaping in the Shang Dynasty, and was finally renamed as La in the Zhou Dynasty. La was evolved from the character Lie (hunting), so La and Lie is mutually linked. At the end of a year when all the crops had been harvested and sun-dried, people tended to go hunting and conduct Laji (sacrifice in the twelfth lunar month) by offering up their preys to the ancestors and various gods for blessing and longevity, averting disaster and restoring peace.
南北朝时，农历十二月初八才被正式固定为“腊八节”，在这一天要祭祀祖先和神灵，祈求丰收和吉祥。据说，佛教创始人释迦牟尼的成道之日也在十二月初八，因此腊八也是佛教徒的节日，称为“佛成道节”。
It was since Southern and Northern Dynasties that Laba Festival had been celebrated officially on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar Chinese calendar. On this day, people would offer up their sacrifices to the ancestors and gods to pray for plentiful harvest and good fortune. The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is also a Buddhist festival, which is called “the Day for Sakyamuni Attaining Enlightenment”, since Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was said to have attained enlightenment on the very day.
腊月初八这天，中国各地都有喝腊八粥的习俗。据史料记载，我国喝腊八粥的历史，已有一千多年。最早开始于宋代，每逢腊八这一天，不论富人还是穷人，家家都要喝腊八粥。最早的腊八粥是用红小豆来煮，后经演变，加之地方特色，逐渐丰富多彩起来。
People in various parts of the country will eat Laba Congee during the Laba Festival. Records show that the tradition can date back over 1,000 years to the Song Dynasty when every household, rich or poor, was accustomed to have the porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Compared with the original porridge cooked with red beans, today’s Laba Congee boasts colorful ingredients and local flavors.
“腊八粥”又叫“七宝粥”、“五味粥”，不仅清香甜美，而且能畅胃气，生津液，因而颇受人们喜食。随着时代的发展，花样越来越多的腊八粥已发展成具有地方风味的小吃。
Laba Congee, also named as Qibao Congee (congee of seven ingredients) and Wuwei Congee (congee of five tastes), features satisfying aroma and sweet taste, and is conducive to toning the stomach and promoting body fluid. As time goes on, Laba Congee with colorful ingredients has been developed into a popular snack with local flavor.
腊八，本身是个传统节日，又是年节的前奏，可以说腊八节拉开了春节的序幕。“小孩小孩你别馋，过了腊八儿就是年”“吃了腊八饭，就把年来办”。腊八节后，春节将至，人们便开始购置年货，打扫卫生，布置居室，以崭新的面貌迎接“年”的到来。
Laba Festival is not only a traditional festival, but also a prelude to the Spring Festival. As the ballad says, “Kid, don’t be greedy; the Spring Festival will come on the heels of Laba”; “After the Laba Feast, it’s time to prepare for the Spring Festival.” During the short interval between the two holidays, people are occupied with cleaning, decorating and shopping, in a bid to welcome the New Year with high spirits.
年糕Nian Gao (Chinese New Year's cake)
春节吃年糕，“义取年胜年，籍以祈岁稔。”寓意万事如意年年高。
Eating Nian Gao during the Spring Festival implies aspirations for fortune and prosperity year by year.
年糕的种类有：北方有白糕饦、黄米糕；江南有水磨年糕；西南有糯粑粑；台湾有红龟糕。
Nian Gao has many varieties including Baigaotuo and Huangmigao in northern China, Shuimo Nian Gao in southern China, Nuobaba in southwestern China, and Hongguigao in Taiwan.
汉代扬雄的《方言》一书中就已有“糕”的称谓，魏晋南北朝时已流行。贾思勰《齐民要术》记载了制做方法。明、清时，是糕已发展成市面上一种常年供应的小食，并有南北风味之别。
The term Gao can be found in Fangyan (dialects) written by Yang Xiong in the Han Dynasty, and became popular during the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties. The preparation of Gao was recorded in the “important Arts for the People’s Walfare” written by Jia Sixie. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Nian Gao had been developed into a common snack provided throughout the year, with different flavors in northern and southern China.
北方年糕有蒸、炸二种，南方年糕除蒸、炸外，尚有片炒、汤煮诸法。
In northern China, Nian Gao is usually prepared by steaming or frying; in southern China, such techniques are also used as stir-frying and boiling in soup.
饺子dumplings (Chinese dumpling)
北方年夜饭有吃饺子的传统，但各地吃饺子的习俗亦不相同，有的地方除夕之夜吃饺子，有的地方初一吃饺子，北方一些山区还有初一到初五每天早上吃饺子的习俗。
It is customary to eat dumplings during the Spring Festival in northern China, despite some differences in timing. Some prefer having it on the New Year’s Eve, some on the New Year’s Day, and some living in the mountainous areas on each morning from the first to the fifth day of the first lunar month.
真正过年的前一夜叫团圆夜，离家在外的游子都要不远千里万里赶回家来，全家人要围坐在一起包饺子过年，饺子的作法是先和面做成饺子皮，再用皮包上馅，馅的内容是五花八门，各种肉、蛋、海鲜、时令蔬菜等都可入馅，正统的饺子吃法，是清水煮熟，捞起后以调有醋、蒜末、香油的酱油为佐料沾着吃。也有炸饺子、烙饺子（锅贴）等吃法。因为和面的“和”字就是“合”的意思；饺子的“饺”和“交”谐音，“合”和“交”又有相聚之意，所以用饺子象征团聚合欢；又取更岁交子之意，非常吉利；此外，饺子因为形似元宝，过年时吃饺子，也带有“招财进宝”的吉祥含义。一家大小聚在一起包饺子，话新春，其乐融融。
On the New Year’s Eve, also known as the reunio night, people will rush all the way home so that the whole family can sit around and make dumplings. Dumplings typically consist of a rolled piece of dough wrapped with ground meat, egg, seafood or vegetable in season, and are usually eaten with a dipping source with garlic, soy, vinegar and sesame oil after being boiled in water. During the Spring Festival, it is auspicious to eat dumplings, of which the pronunciation may associate us with the happiness of family reunio. In addition, the shape of dumpling resembles a Yuanbao(ingot). There is so much sweetness for the whole family to make dumplings together and look forward to the new year.