The dish on Chinese New Year: Welcome to the Year of the Goat

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Celebrations are expected around the city Thursday for Chinese New Year.

Also referred to as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year — sometimes celebrated for as long as two weeks — is meant to be symbolic of letting go of the past and welcoming new beginnings.

Here’s a primer.

• DATES: Chinese New Year 2015 begins on Feb. 19 and ends on March 5. It is day one, month one of the Chinese lunar calendar, and its date in January or February varies from year to year (always somewhere from Jan. 21 to Feb. 20).
• SYMBOL: 2015 is a year of the “Goat” in the Chinese 12-year animal zodiac cycle. If you were born in a Goat year you should be particularly careful in 2015, according to Chinese astrology.
• GATHERING: The New Year’s Eve dinner is called Reunion Dinner, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year.
• FOOD: Certain foods are enjoyed during the festival because of their symbolic meanings, based on their names or appearance. For example, fish is a must because the Chinese word for fish (? yú /yoo/) sounds like the word for surplus (? yú). Eating fish is believed to bring a surplus of money and good luck in the coming year.
• GIFTS: People exchange gifts during the festival. The most common gifts are money inside red envelopes, which are given to children and retired adults.

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