The Symbolism Behind Egg Rolls During The Lunar New Year (2024)
sarah martinez
·2 min read
Lunar New Year is a 15-day celebration commemorating the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Its origins lie in China, though many cultures throughout Asia, like those in South Korea and Vietnam, partake in the celebration. This year, 2024, is the Year of the Dragon, which can signal good fortune and prosperity. Several practices are traditional for theLunar NewYear, including decorating windows with red paper and exchanging gifts, but the most delicious of these traditions is the New Year's food. For the celebratory feast, families come together to reconnect and enjoytraditional dishes like dumplings, steamed whole fish, and sticky rice balls.
One of the more symbolic foods that people enjoy during the Lunar New Year isegg rolls. Their golden-brown exterior resembles that of a gold bar, bringing about wealth and prosperity in the new year.Despite this opulent symbolism, egg rolls are fairly simple to make and quick to assemble.Chinese egg rolls are traditionally made with pork and veggies like cabbage that are stuffed inside a wrapper and deep-fried until crispy.
Egg rolls aren't the only New Year's food people eat to attract wealth and prosperity. Steamed cakes known as fa gao are a traditional Lunar New Year fooddue to their symbolism of rising prosperity. Dumplings, whose shape mimics Chinese gold ingots, also symbolize wealth. Obviously, the more you eat, the more wealth you'll incur in the coming year. Even though egg rolls are symbolically important during the Lunar New Year celebrations, this is far from the only time you can enjoy the crunchy treat. Visit any Chinese-American restaurant and you'll almost certainly find a selection of egg rolls listed with the appetizers.
Variations on the egg roll include lumpia, which are Filipino. Some celebratory lumpia include shredded orange and yellow carrots, as both are said to symbolize wealth and good fortune. For those who want to omit meat, vegetable egg rolls can be stuffed with cabbage, glass noodles, mushrooms, or any veggie of choice. And while not traditional, sweet egg rolls, like cheesecake-stuffed egg rolls, are a fun way to end the meal.
Egg rolls (also called fried spring rolls) are a favorite all year round but they're considered an auspicious food during the new year because they resemble gold bars and thus symbolize wealth and prosperity!
One of the more symbolic foods that people enjoy during the Lunar New Year is egg rolls. Their golden-brown exterior resembles that of a gold bar, bringing about wealth and prosperity in the new year. Despite this opulent symbolism, egg rolls are fairly simple to make and quick to assemble.
Chinese New Year Egg Rolls or Spring Rolls symbolize good fortune because their rectangular shape is similar to that of gold bars. Who doesn't want to ring in the New Year with some good fortune? This is an easy and fun recipe to make with kids as they can help fill and roll up the egg rolls.
Foods like fish, fruit, and dumplings are more than mere snacks; they're symbols of luck and prosperity, and eating them is thought to invite both into your life in the days to come.
The origins of the dish are unclear and remain disputed. Egg rolls are closely related to, but distinct from, the spring rolls served in mainland China, and were first seen in the early 20th century in the United States.
Full house: As in many cultures, eggs symbolize fertility, and are eaten both to encourage pregnancy and to celebrate the birth of a baby. If you want many children, seek out pomegranate or snacks made with seeds.
Christianity adopted eggs as a symbol of fertility, resurrection, and eternal life. From the outside, eggs appear stone cold, yet inside they nurture young life. Just as a grave keeps life locked in, eggs stood for the tomb in Jerusalem, from which Christ rose from death 'like a bird hatching from an egg'.
There are many symbols associated with Chinese New Year. The color red is an important one, symbolizing good luck and happiness. The Chinese Zodiac animals, lanterns, plum blossoms, and fireworks are all important Lunar New Year symbols.
Similar to Western Easter eggs, in Chinese culture eggs symbolize birth or a new start; thus, it is of paramount importance for eggs to be served to guests during an important birthday (such as the first month or first year). The color red symbolizes prosperity and good fortune to the Chinese.
Traditional Lunar New Year foods include longevity noodles, a whole steamed fish for abundance, sticky rice balls for togetherness, and more. Below you'll find some of those lucky foods, along with other traditional dishes like dumplings and rice cakes.
No eating porridge. In old times, only poor families would eat porridge, so in order to gather wealth in the coming year, do not eat porridge. Do not urge someone to get out of bed. If you are urged out of bed on the first morning, it means that you will be rushed the whole year.
According to tradition, Dolley Madison, the wife of President James Madison, began the event in 1814. Hundreds of children brought their decorated eggs to join in games. Rolling Easter eggs was a popular annual custom in Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Virginia, as early as the 1850s.
Though dim sum chefs in Hong Kong produce a similar snack called a spring roll, the egg roll, as we know it, is a creation of Chinese-American restaurateurs who used local ingredients to create Chinese-ish foods that would appeal to American diners.
Street name, slang, or code word for 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). MDMA is commonly referred to as ecstasy. Note: Innumerable substances–legal or illicit or combinations thereof–are used to facilitate illegal activities.
/ˈeɡ rəʊlɪŋ/ [uncountable] a traditional Easter custom in northern England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Each person taking part rolls a hard-boiled egg down a slope, and if it is not damaged at the bottom they will be lucky in various ways.
Ever wonder… why these classic Chinese-American treats are called egg rolls? One possible explanation is that the dough traditionally used to make the wrapper calls for eggs. Even though recipes now often omit the egg, it's possible that the name stuck.
a contest or race in which eggs are rolled over a lawn, using a spoon or paddle, most commonly held as a children's entertainment during the Easter season.
Foodtimeline.org says, “egg rolls (and their lighter counterpart, spring rolls) date back to ancient China. It is quite likely that egg-roll type foods were made and consumed in the USA by the first Chinese settlers in the mid 1800's.” Okay, now we are getting somewhere.
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