On Chinese New Year, which falls on February 16th this year, many families prepare a tray of prosperity. This is a special six-sided platter that has sections filled with dried fruits such as candied melon, candied coconut, red melon seeds, pumpkin seeds and lotus seeds.
These foods, as well as the colors red and gold, symbolize riches, longevity, and the blessing of more children. But many times I find these foods extremely processed with sugar, the seeds too hard for kids to crack open, and they can be a chocking hazard. So, I like to replace the traditional foods with other items that are just as colorful and fun for kids to celebrate the new year.
In my family these are some of the alternatives:
- To replace the dried candied fruits we use raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, dried mangoes or mango gummies.
- To replace the seeds or nuts we use pistachios, cashews, trail mix, or Japanese rice crackers.
- To add some more festive colors with items that are red and gold I use red lucky candy (found in most Asian markets) and chocolate gold coins.
This is truly a tray that the whole family can enjoy and can still bring in prosperity and riches in the New Year.
