THESE NAMES SOUND GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

Traditional dishes served during the festivities are meant to symbolise abundance and wealth for the family

New Year's Eve dinner typically includes chicken and fish. The chicken should be presented whole - with head, tail and feet - to symbolise completeness and prosperity. Fish in Cantonese is 'yu', which sounds like the word for 'abundance'. It's also served whole to represent togetherness and a good start and finish for the coming year.

A dish made with black moss (which sounds like the word for 'prosperity') and dried oysters (which sounds like the Chinese word for 'good') is one of the most popular Lunar New Year dishes because of its auspicious name: fat choi ho see means 'wealth and good business'. The two main ingredients are braised with black mushrooms and oyster sauce and served on wilted lettuce.

The Cantonese term for bamboo shoots, juk shun, sounds like 'wishing everything would be well'. Dried bean curd, or fu juk, is another homonym for fulfilment of wealth and happiness.

Other favourite dishes are neen goh (a sweet, steamed glutinous rice pudding made with coconut or brown sugar) and a turnip cake called loh bak goh (made with rice flour, preserved pork and sausage, dried shrimps and conpoy). The sweetness and stickiness represent a happy life and closeness of family. The word goh, which means pudding, indicates rising fortune.

Household gods are said to report to the higher gods during the New Year. Families offer neen goh so the kitchen god will give a favourable report when he returns to heaven. The sticky pudding can also help stick his lips shut, so he doesn't say anything out of order.