Hi everyone!

Today, we’ll be discussing the birthday foods a Chinese person MUST have for his/her birthday! These foods have significant meanings pertaining to various aspects of life. We’ll also learn about the most important birthday traditions.

A bit of background information first! There were three ancient Chinese gods named Fu (福), Lu (禄), and Shou (寿). They represented prosperity, status, and longevity, respectively, and were together known as the Three Stars (三星 Sānxīng). The last god, Shou, is what gives the birthday boy/girl his/her birthday title: “Shou xing” 寿星. This literally translates to “longevity star,” signifying a wish of a long life to the birthday boy/girl.

1. 1. 寿桃(Shòutáo)

   A “Shou” Tao is a bun filled with creamy, sweet red bean filling. The bun is decorated with light pink coloring, and green leaves are stenciled onto the skin of the bun. This decoration makes the bun resemble a peach, which is what the “tao” in “shou tao” actually means. This peach bun (which tastes nothing like a peach) symbolizes immortality and longevity, as in ancient times, there was a magical peach tree that bore fruits that ripened every three thousand years and gave the consumer the power of immortality. Shou Taos are eaten to grant the birthday boy/girl a long  and enjoyable life. (PS, the “Shou” god has a head shaped in a way, like a peach, so this makes sense :))

   2. 长寿面 (Chángshòu miàn)
   

Chang Shou Mian literally translates to “longevity noodles.” The simple fact is, the longer the noodle, the longer your life will be. On one’s birthday, one must have a bowl of these noodles. Don’t bite them short or cut them, or that would mean a shorter life! These noodles can be dry or in soup, depending on your own taste!

3. 蛋 (dàn)

Eggs symbolize happiness, so they are eaten during any type of holiday. In past generations, poor Chinese people only had the chance to eat eggs during special occasions, so this is why they are special. Red dyed eggs add a special touch!

4. 蛋糕 (dàngāo)

Of course, every birthday needs a cake! Chinese cakes are typically spongy layered cakes topped with delicious fruits! If you would like writing on the cake, it is typically done in red icing, as red is a lucky color!

Some traditions include:

1. Wear red clothes, which symbolize prosperity!
2. Older people consider their 49th, 59th, 69th, etc. birthday as their 50th, 60th, 70th, etc. birthdays. This is so their age can be a round number!
3. Always celebrate a birthday on the actual day or earlier, never after the special day!

I hope you enjoyed this enlightening article on birthday foods and traditions!

Talk to you next week!