New Year is a special time for each one of us. Similar to how India’s large-scale diversity in terms of religion and cultures celebrates the new year on several different days, the Chinese follow their own special calendar too. Although the Gregorian calendar is the universally accepted one, Hindus across the world often celebrate the new year according to their religious calendar too. This year, the Chinese New Year fell on February 1. It’s also known as the Lunar new year or the Spring Festival. This day marks the end of winters and the onset of a blooming spring season.
The year of 2022 is being celebrated as the Year of Tiger, as per the 12 zodiac signs of the Chinese calendar. The tiger is considered to be symbolic of courage, strength and bravery and the year is believed to bring the same qualities onto the people. In lieu of the same, a Swiss-French pastry chef Amaury Guichon created a giant sculpture of a tiger from, wait for it, Chocolate! Yes, that’s true, he made an edible tiger sculpture with loads of chocolate and the netizens are stunned. In the past, the pastry chef has been known for his creative experiments and chocolate sculptures of several iconic personalities and symbols.
In order to celebrate the special day of Chinese New Year, he went on to create a larger-than-life sculpture of a tiger with his most favourite ingredient, chocolate. The video was shared by him on his Instagram handle yesterday and it literally gave us jitters. Here, take a look.
Source: Amaury Guichon/Instagram
The chef starts by shaping all the body parts of the tiger and pouring the melted chocolate in different kinds of moulds. Once the basic structure of the tiger is ready, he sprays golden and black paint on different areas on his body and face to give it a realistic look. Finally, he does some final touches and we have the gigantic chocolate tiger ready to be looked at and maybe, even eaten.
While the tiger is an auspicious symbol of Lunar new year in 2022, there are some special foods that are considered to bring good luck on this day. Here are those fortunate foods which people should eat.
1. Tangyuan
These sweet balls of rice symbolise reunion while their round shape is a marker of family togetherness. The sweetmeats are eaten throughout the festival and even on Lantern festival. Dunked in what looks like a sugary syrup, the balls are soaked into it and eaten with a feeling of bonding.
2. Tangerines And Oranges
These are called the good luck fruits in Chinese culture. Their round shape and golden-orange colour makes them a symbol of fullness and wealth. The tangy taste of these fruits is quite a treat during the new year celebrations in Chinese households.
3. Chinese Dumplings
Dumplings are a popular snack in Chinese cuisine. However, it also holds a special place in the new year traditions of Chinese. The dumplings symbolise wealth and it is the shape and filling of the dumplings which indicate the good fortune they would bring. Usually, cabbage and radish stuffed dumplings are eaten on new year as it is believed that it would give a fairer skin and a gentle mood.
4. Longevity Noodles
As the name suggests, eating these noodles is believed to increase your length of life and bring prosperity. The noodles used in this dish are extraordinarily long and remain uncut. You would find them as fried noodles or as noodle broth bowls on new year day.
5. Fish
Fish can be cooked up in a variety of ways and the obsession of Chinese with seafood is no stranger to us. As a harbinger of prosperity and abundance in the new year, Chinese enjoy eating steamed fish on this day.