Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is the most important festival of the year in Chinese culture. It falls on a different day each time, somewhere between late January and mid February, because it follows the lunar calendar. It is above all a family festival, and food plays the leading role.

Eating together is the heart of the festival: everything is about sharing.

A festival of togetherness

Families travel to be together for the most important meal of the year: the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. In the days that follow, people visit one another, exchange good wishes, and children receive red envelopes (hongbao) with money, as a symbol of luck. Red and gold are everywhere, colours that stand for prosperity and joy. Traditionally the festival lasts fifteen days and ends with the Lantern Festival.

The year of an animal

Each year is dedicated to one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, which follow one another in a fixed cycle. People look with interest at which animal rules the new year and what that might mean. It gives every year its own colour and conversation at the table.

What you eat, and why

Many dishes carry a symbolic meaning, often based on a pun or on their shape:

• A whole fish stands for abundance, because the word for fish sounds like surplus.
• Dumplings resemble old gold ingots and stand for wealth.
• Spring rolls, with their golden-brown colour, point to riches.
• Long noodles, eaten in one piece, stand for a long life.
• Rice cake (niangao) literally means higher year, a wish for progress.
• Poultry, such as a whole duck, belongs to a complete, festive table and symbolises unity.

The Peking duck as an experience to share

Few dishes suit a festival of togetherness as well as the Peking duck. At Sichuan Food the duck comes in three courses: first the crispy skin in thin pancakes, then a clear duck broth, and finally the duck meat prepared three ways, served at your table. One whole duck serves two to four people, ideal to share together. Read more about the Peking duck in three courses.

Celebrating Chinese New Year at Sichuan Food

Would you like to welcome the new year with family, friends or colleagues? At Sichuan Food in the heart of Amsterdam you share the classic dishes at the table, in a warm setting. For a larger table, take a look at group dining. Around Chinese New Year it is traditionally busy, so reserve in good time. Reserve online and let us know your wishes when you book.