More Food Adventures: New Year Food and Their Meanings..

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First of all, happy New Year and Happy Three Kings to one and all. To my readers and to my detractors, lol.. Seriously now, it's the 3rd, and this is my first post for the year 2011.. What better way to open the year as I explain to you why we have what we had on our New Year table..

Sure, it is quite normal for us Filipinos to have a grand banquet during the midnight feast celebrating both Christmas as well as the New Year. That is not only because of the people who will flock the table later on after the clock strikes twelve. Tradition calls that we place food on the table as our offering to appease the spirits and the gods and deities, in order that they provide us bounty for the year ahead. In my household, this tradition somehow got added up with Chinese traditions as well as others. For instance, serving round foods during the New Year are said to usher in more blessings. That explains why most of our food are round or placed in round dishes..

Of course, another insight would be the Filipino's fondness for "Lihi".. Lihi means something that is done, placed or eaten, to allow forces of nature to do something with what was wished for. Take for example, Quezo de Bola accordingly brings in more money and good luck, as well as more love as its covering is color Red. You may think that the idea is far fetched but well, tell anyone doing this "palihi" and the answer you will get is that, no harm is done if you follow them.

Below is Biko, or Sweet Sticky Rice which makes a family more sweet to each other, and as Filipinos are family oriented, more connected with each other as time goes on.

Of course, there were the boiled eggs that does not fall below 13 in counting. As well as the thirteen fruits with the money banners.

And lots more of the sweets.. plus a glass of Rose water that each member of the family will drink, from the oldest to the youngest member in the home. There's also the dish with 88 coins, with rice and ginger root. For wealth and abundance to spread amongst the family..

A fish dish to symbolize resiliency, that allows us to float while we swim through the currents and tides of life. And of course, pansit or spaghetti or anything that will symbolize long life.. In our case, we have Spaghetti Carbonara, my sister's specialty.

Every year, New Year has always been celebrated with abundance and family. This is also the time of year that we take our family photo.. With all the traditions, my father has a simple explanation why this grand feast. The New Year table is symbolic of what we have enjoyed in the previous year, and thanks giving for all the souls, saints, spirits and the gods and deities that have helped us survive whatever challenges we faced. So too, it is an earnest prayer that the next offering, in the next New Year table will be grander and more festive.

My parents both have different explanations, each with their meanings about the New Year table and the food on it. Come to think of it, we end up having so much for a week or two that we do not spend so much on food. So another "palihi" is at hand. That which keeps us from spending, lol.. With the Kiatkiat rolled on the floor from outside the house towards the middle, money will come in. Of course, each of us must have money on our pockets as well as wallets during this time.

As for me and my siblings, we follow such beliefs and traditions because it was fun doing them. Kinda like a family ritual of some sort that keeps us together as one.

Note: For each dish/recipe, we only put to the table a sample serving as we can never take out from the house what was offered at the table. So if we decide to go to the beach the next day, we can still take those that were not placed as offering on the table for what was offered on the table shall be eaten at home only. And by the way, only hang your New Year calendars after the clock struck twelve.. and the one from the previous year taken down before the New Year arrives..

That's it so far.. How about yours? Care to share?