Festival food and flowers

At home, families cook a special chicken soup called ‘broth of prosperity’, filled with egg dumplings and pigeon eggs symbolizing gold and silver ingots. The chicken represents the phoenix rising from the ashes, or rebirth and rejuvenation. Pork, duck, chicken and fish constitute the ‘four heroes of the table’. Braised, seasoned pork shoulder is known as ‘mist of harmony’; a combination of sea cucumber, squid and seaweed is named ‘jade of ink’ or ‘gold of darkness’; vermicelli noodles (fun si) are referred to as ‘silvery threads of longevity’; platters of chicken wings are thought ‘to soar one thousand miles’; and bamboo shoots are eaten because they grow so tall and inspire people to ‘year after year, ascend to great heights’.