[Photo/chinaculture.org]

As one of the most important aspects of the Spring Festival, food is essential to a healthy, happy new year in Chinese tradition, and many dishes are imbued with auspicious and symbolic meanings either because of the appearance or the pronunciation of its Chinese name.

In Northern China, people usually eat jiaozi (dumplings), which first appeared in China some 1,600 years ago. The Chinese pronunciation of jiaozi means "midnight" or "the end and the beginning of time". Its crescent shape resembles that of ancient gold and silver ingots or a crescent moon which symbolizes the hope for a plentiful year. Sometimes, people stuff jiaozi with sugar for a "sweet" life, and others put one or two coins inside -- if you happen to come across a coin-stuffed jiaozi, you will have good luck.