團圓飯 a.k.a. Reunion dinner

Chinese New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve (Chu Xi or the last day of the lunar calendar) is a time for all members of the family to come together to share a meal, and to usher in the new year. The reunion dinner is usually a veritable feast of foods bearing names that have auspicious significance. For instance, yu (fish) means abundance and fatt choy (seaweed) is a call for prosperity. The reunion dinner and the wait for the new year are intended to strengthen family ties. Bad words are prohibited at the family gathering to ensure positive and respectful interaction. At night, the family burns incense and candles, and makes offerings of meat and fruit to deities at home or in temples to invoke their blessings for the year ahead.