What are some symbolic festive foods we eat during Chinese New Year?

here are some that i know of (also used wikipedia)

Buddha's delight(traditional Chinese: 羅漢齋; simplified Chinese: 罗汉斋; pinyin: luóhàn zhāi)
An elaborate vegetarian dish served by Chinese families on the eve and the first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like algae, pronounced "fat choy" in Cantonese, is also featured in the dish for its name, which sounds like "prosperity". Hakkas usually serve kiu nyuk (Chinese: 扣肉; pinyin: kòuròu) and ngiong tiu fu.

Fish
Is usually eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of fish (魚yú) makes it a homophone for "surpluses"(餘yú).

Jau gok (Chinese: 油角)
The main Chinese new year dumpling. It is believed to resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots (simplified Chinese: 金元宝; traditional Chinese: 金元寶; pinyin: jīn yuán bǎo)

Jiaozi dumplings
Eaten traditionally in northern China because the preparation is similar to packaging luck inside the dumpling, which is later eaten.

Mandarin oranges
Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year – jin ju (Chinese: 金橘子; pinyin: jīn júzi) translation: golden tangerine/orange or kam (Chinese: 柑; pinyin: gum) in Cantonese.

Melon seed/Kwatji(Chinese: 瓜子; pinyin: gwāzi)
Other variations include sunflower and pumpkin seeds

Nian gao (Chinese: 年糕)
Most popular in eastern China (Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai) because its pronunciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year". Nian gao is also popular in the Philippines because of its large Chinese population and is known as tikoy there. Known as Chinese New Year pudding, nian gao is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. The colour of the sugar used determines the colour of the pudding (white or brown).

Noodles
Families may serve uncut noodles, which represent longevity and long life, though this practice is not limited to the new year.

Sweets
Sweets and similar dried fruit goods are stored in a red or
black Chinese candy box.

Bakkwa
Chinese salty-sweet dried meat which is trimmed of the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked for later consumption or as a gift.

Yushengs or Yee sangs (Chinese: 鱼生) Raw fish salad.
Eating this salad is said to bring good luck. This dish is usually eaten on the seventh day of the New Year, but may also be eaten throughout the period.

Most of the dishes served during Chinese New Year (also known as Spring Festival) are symbolic of something positive and hopeful.

Chicken and fish, for example, symbolize happiness and prosperity--especially when served whole.
Dishes made with oranges represent wealth and good fortune because they are China's most plentiful fruit.
Noodles represent longevity: therefore, they should never be cut!
Duck symbolizes fidelity, while eggs signify fertility.
Bean curd or tofu, however, is avoided because its white color suggests death and misfortune.
Dishes are also chosen based on homonyms--words that either are spelled the same or sound the same as other words. Fish (yu) is served because it sounds similar to the Chinese word for plenty; whole fish represents abundance. Turnips are cooked because their name (cai tou) also means "good luck."

Another popular Chinese New Year dish is jiaozi, dumplings boiled in water. In some areas of China, coins are placed in the center of jiaozi. Whoever bites into one of these dumplings will have an exceptionally lucky year.


Spicy Orange Beef

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound round steak, cut into thin strips on the diagonal
1/4 cup orange peel, cut into slivers
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
In a wok or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef strips 1/3 at a time. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until browned, removing the done pieces to a plate lined with paper towels.
Return all the beef to the wok. Stir in orange peel, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry 1 minute.
In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sherry, marmalade, and red pepper. Pour this mixture into the beef, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute. Serve hot.

Chinese New Year Turnip Cake
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked overnight in water
1/3 cup dried shrimp, soaked in water overnight and drained
1 pound pork sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 slices fresh ginger root
3 turnips, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
2/3 pound white rice flour

DIRECTIONS
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms, shrimp and sausages and saute for 1/2 minute. Remove from skillet and set aside. Heat 1 more tablespoon oil in wok/skillet. Add ginger and saute a bit. Add shredded turnips and stir fry for about 3 minutes (do NOT remove turnip water). Add 5-spice powder, salt, chicken bouillon and white pepper and toss all together until evenly distributed. Extract ginger slices from mixture.
Turn off heat. Top turnip mixture with rice flour and use chopsticks to toss and mix flour in evenly. Add reserved sausage mixture and toss to mix in. Remove mixture from wok/skillet and place into a 9x2 inch deep round cake pan.
Clean wok/skillet, fill with water and bring to a boil. Place cake pan on a round wire rack over boiling water. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, steaming cake 'batter', for 45 minutes. (Note: you can also use a large bamboo steamer if you have one). When 'cake' is steamed through, slice into pieces and serve hot OR cool on wire rack before covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing in refrigerator to chill.

There are a few dishes that Chinese people have during Chinese New Year because the food represents "good luck". I only know the Cantonese ones as my family is Cantonese and that's what my mom makes every year.

For example:
Dried Oyster and Black Moss and lettuce:
1) "dried oyster" in Cantonese is "ho-si" which is the same pronunciation as "good things"
2) "black moss" in Cantonese is "fat choy" which is the same pronunciation as "wealthy"
3) lettuce in Cantonese is "sang choy" which is the same pronunciation as "get wealthy"

Fish
1) Fish in Cantonese is "yu" which is similar to the pronunciation of "plentiful" and "abundance". But make sure you're serving the whole fish, from head to tail in one piece, don't chop the fish in half.

Nin-go (Sticky Rice Cake)
1) Nin is the same word as "year"
2) Go is the same sound as "happiness"

Chicken - you need chicken at every important festival/dinner, and again, you have to serve the entire chicken. So make sure the head and tail are on the plate, too. You can cut the chicken into pieces, but better if you rearrange the pieces so it looks like an "unchopped" chicken.

Jai - vegetarian dish made with fermented/red tofu sauce
1) traditionally, Chinese people only eat vegetarian dishes on the first day of New Year's because they believe in "no killing" on that day. That's the day you thank the gods for a good year and you "sacrifice" by not killing or harming animals.

Candy Tray
The tray usually contains an inner set of eight compartments. Each compartment is filled with a special symbolic food:
1) Candy Melon (growth and good health)
2) Coconut (pronounced like "father son", means unity)
3) Kumquat (gold; for prosperity)
4) Longan (many good sons)
5) Lotus Seeds (fertility)
6) Lychee Nut (close family relationships)
7) Peanuts (longevity)
8) Red Melon Seeds (red; for happiness, joy, honesty and sincerity)

Year of the Ox (Buffalo) January 26, 2009

1. A whole chicken........symbolizes family togetherness

2. Noodles....represent a long life...and it's bad luck to cut them

3. Clams and Spring Rolls...symbolizes wealth

4. Lettuce Wraps....for luck

5. Tangerines and Oranges.....luck and wealth

6. Pomelos...ancestor of the grapefruit signifies abundance

7. Fish...served with the head and tail symbolizes a good beginning and ending for the coming year

8. Sweet steamed cakes...a rich sweet life


The Vietnamese celebrate "Tet" on the same day....

Tet means first morning of the first day of the new year, and they celebrate for 7 days...

Banh Chung...a Square cake made of sticky rice and stuffed with beans and pork

Mang....a soup of boiled bamboo shoots and pork

Xoi G C....orange sticky rice

I know there are many different traditions, this is the only one I know for certain:

Pork should always be on the menu in some form. The reason is because the pig is the only animal which can't look backwards so eating pork reinforces the ideals that one moves only every forward into a new year without regrets.

Cheers

chicken heads

Some of these food that we usually eat on Chinese new year are:

Bak Kwa 肉干
Yusheng
Mandarin Orange
Wontons and Dumplings -- Before dumplings came about, wontons (hún dùn, 餛飩) were eaten because the word for wonton in Chinese carries the meaning of new beginnings. Phonetically, it also sounds like the term that describes a well-stocked grain bin, representing a wholesome new year and a good harvest.

Later on, wontons were made into the shape of a crescent moon, and became dumplings. The tradition of eating dumplings had already become popular throughout China during the Tang Dynasty.