TEXT: “nián nián yǒu yu” / “年年有鱼”

CONTEXT:

Informant- “This is like a very beloved tradition called nián nián yǒu yu in China during Chinese New Year. So literally it means “may there be fish every year”, but the magic is in the sound of the word. In Chinese, the word for fish is “yu” and it sounds exactly like another word, “yǒu” which means abundance or having extra leftover. So when Chinese families eat fish during the Chinese New Year dinner, they are not just eating a dish, they are making a wish. It’s like saying, “oh, may this year bring us more than enough, always enough food, enough money, enough luck, enough love, and enough happiness to carry into the next year.” And the fish is usually served as whole with the head and tail, because a complete fish represents wholeness and a good opening and a good beginning and ending. So in some families, people do not finish the entire fish on New Year’s Eve. They intentionally leave a little bit because this is like having leftovers and abundance symbolizes that the family will have abundance left over for the coming year. So the fish on the table is not only food, it is a symbol of hope. And it tells a like, simple but beautiful Chinese New Year wish. “May we always have more than we need.”

ANALYSIS:

This Chinese New Year tradition is a symbolic way of setting forth positive intentions for the coming year in hopes of prosperity. This belief that stems from the play on words is reminiscent of the tradition of blowing out birthday candles in hopes for the coming year to be full of happiness and good luck. Beliefs such as this one are cultural and passed down in familial settings across generations.