How to Prepare Chinese New Year Meals at Home

Creating Connection, Culture, and Joy Around the Table: 

The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is THE  most vibrant and meaningful celebrations there is!  For adoptive families raising a child from China, preparing a Chinese New Year feast at home can be a beautiful way to honor your child’s heritage, create family traditions, and bring good fortune into the year ahead.

Here are a few practical ways to make the celebration both grounded in tradition and meaning, while making the details fit how your family’s own style.

Many beloved New Year dishes take time and care. Start by planning your menu a week or two in advance.

• Shop early for essentials like fresh fish, specialty produce (such as bok choy or lotus root), and preserved meats used in festive dishes.
• Asian grocery stores, and increasingly many mainstream markets, carry these items—so a little scouting can go a long way.
• Remember, this isn’t just about the food. The process of planning, shopping, and cooking symbolizes your dedication to a positive, flourishing year ahead.

Cooking is one of the most joyful ways to blend cultures and create memories.

• Gather everyone in the kitchen to fold dumplings (jiaozi) or wrap spring rolls—two dishes that symbolize wealth and togetherness.
• Encourage your child to take part, even in small ways. This builds a tangible connection to their cultural roots while celebrating your family’s shared story.
• Play festive Chinese music or talk about New Year traditions from different regions of China while you cook.

Dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve is filled with meaning—every dish carries a wish for the year to come.

• Serve a whole fish, head and tail intact, to represent completeness and abundance.
• Aim for eight dishes at the table—eight is a lucky number associated with prosperity.
• Include a mix of flavors and textures (sweet and savory, crunchy and tender, hot and cold) to symbolize harmony and balance in the year ahead.

Color carries deep cultural significance.

• Celebrate with red plates, bowls, or napkins—red symbolizes luck, joy, and protection from negativity.
• Avoid using predominantly white or black tableware, as those colors are associated with mourning in Chinese culture.
• Add festive touches like paper lanterns, gold accents, or red envelopes (hongbao) as table decorations.

Food traditions often reflect deeper values. One important custom for New Year’s Eve dinner is not finishing the fish.

• Leaving some for the next day symbolizes continuity, abundance, and the hope that each year will bring “more than enough.”
• It’s a beautiful way to express gratitude and optimism—a lesson in mindfulness and moderation for kids and adults alike.

Not everyone has time (or confidence) to cook everything from scratch, and that’s perfectly okay.

• Most Asian markets carry ready-to-cook dumplings, niangao (sticky rice cake), and tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls), which make it easy to enjoy authentic flavors without extensive prep time.
• Choose a few dishes to cook together and supplement with store-bought items. What matters most is celebrating connection and culture—not perfection.

Preparing a Chinese New Year meal at home isn’t only about the dishes themselves—it’s about embracing the spirit of renewal, family, and cultural appreciation. By cooking, eating, and learning together, your family can make this celebration uniquely your own while honoring the heritage that makes your story richer.

May your table be full, your hearts warm, and your home filled with happiness and good fortune in the year ahead.

新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè)! — Happy New Year!

This sample menu is designed to be festive, easy to prepare, and rich with cultural meaning—perfect for families blending tradition and togetherness.