Young people today have already forgotten the rules of the New Year's Eve dinner

Based on personal experience and photos sent by friends, I’ve compiled the characteristics and rules of New Year's Eve dinners from different regions. After reading, you'll understand everything.
For Chinese people, the New Year's Eve dinner is not just a meal; it’s a KPI of year-end delicacies embedded in DNA. The north, south, east, and west each have their own obsessions and rules. Missing even one makes the New Year feel incomplete. Today, let’s use plain language to sort out the five major New Year’s Eve dinner schools: Northern, Central, Sichuan-Chongqing, Suzhou-Hangzhou, and Guangdong. Let’s see whose New Year’s dinner hits your stomach the most!
1. Northern New Year’s Eve Dinner: Dumplings are king, hearty dishes enough to support you, focusing on practicality
There’s a strict rule for northern New Year’s Eve dinners: Dumplings are the Jade Emperor, and everything else is just side dishes. Even if you’ve braised a whole ham hock, a big goose, or laid out a table of hearty dishes, if you don’t eat a hot dumpling fresh out of the pot when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, the year is considered a failure.
Soul position: Dumplings must be the main!
Hearty dish team: Soy-braised pork hock, Sweet and sour pork, Chicken stewed with mushrooms
Rules: Fish must be served whole, called “Yuan Yuan You Yu” (abundance every year). The fish should not be eaten completely; the head and tail must be left for the first day of the new year.
2. Central New Year’s Eve Dinner: More complex, a blend of north and south, steaming and frying dominate, focusing on a balance of meat and vegetables
The central region (mainly Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui) is the “all-round player” in New Year’s Eve dinners, combining the hearty style of the north with the delicacy of the south. The mix of steaming and frying dishes is divine.
Soul position: Steamed dishes + preserved meats!
Signature hearty dishes: Hubei’s pork rib and lotus root soup, Hunan’s chopped chili fish head, Anhui’s stinky mandarin fish
Rules: Start “frying” half a month in advance—frying meatballs, lotus root stuffed with meat, crispy pork, fish—until the kitchen is filled with smoke; also, must include meatballs.
3. Sichuan-Chongqing New Year’s Eve Dinner: Spicy base, braised flavors, focus on “moreish” eating
Many think Sichuan-Chongqing New Year’s Eve dinners are all about extreme spiciness—big mistake! Their dinner is “layered spicy, suitable for all ages,” with a spicy flavor as the base, braised dishes as the soul, and a little-known fact: Sichuan-Chongqing people don’t eat dumplings on New Year’s Eve; they eat tangyuan (glutinous rice balls)!
I have full authority to speak on this, having spent five Chinese New Years in Sichuan. The main dishes are mostly cold.
Soul position: Sichuan-style sausage and cured meats + braised platter!
Signature hearty dishes: The first bowl (a mix of crispy meatballs and assorted ingredients, the “opening dish” of Sichuan-Chongqing dinners), boiled fish / pickled fish.
Rules: On New Year’s Eve, you must eat tangyuan, called “Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan” (round and complete); in rural or town settings, it’s usually a banquet with flowing dishes, with relatives taking turns eating. I once had five days of New Year’s dinners 😆.
4. Suzhou-Hangzhou New Year’s Eve Dinner: Exquisite to the bone, sweet and fresh, focusing on elegance and auspiciousness
If the northern New Year’s Eve dinner is bold and free-spirited, then the Suzhou-Hangzhou (Yangtze River Delta) dinner is definitely gentle and refined, exquisite to the core. Every dish is carefully prepared, each bite embodies the tenderness of Jiangnan, emphasizing “not eating out of season, elegance with a good omen.”
Soul position: Seasonal fresh ingredients + sweet dishes!
Signature hearty dishes: Squirrel Mandarin Fish (a visual highlight, fiery red, crispy outside and tender inside), Braised Eel in fragrant oil, Soy Duck
Rules: The New Year’s Eve dinner must have an even number of dishes, usually ten, called “Perfect Ten”; each dish must be beautifully arranged, with matching sets of plates. Even a simple vegetable must be stir-fried to a vibrant green and arranged neatly.
5. Guangdong New Year’s Eve Dinner: Freshness first, auspicious names, focusing on abundance and good luck
Guangdong’s New Year’s Eve dinner is the most particular about “auspiciousness” nationwide. The dishes’ taste is secondary; if the name is inauspicious, it’s not served at all. There are two strict rules: no chicken, no feast; no soup, no banquet. Missing even one, and the dinner loses its soul.
Soul position: Poached chicken + slow-cooked good soup + Pen Cai (a layered casserole)
Signature hearty dishes: Steamed fish (must be live fish, steamed to preserve the original flavor, emphasizing freshness), Prosperity in hand
Rules: The number of dishes must be even; seven dishes are considered inauspicious and should be avoided. Before eating, ancestors must be worshipped; only after that can you start eating. The fish must not be eaten completely; the head and tail must be left.
Share in the comments what your local New Year’s Eve dinner is like!
Any special rules?
#年夜饭 # Customs #ChineseNewYear