"Three-All" Feast

"Three-All" Feast

　　 The New Year's Eve reunion dinner, known as the "Three-All" feast among the people of Hubei, is quite elaborate. The dinner typically includes the "Three-Alls"—a whole chicken, a whole fish, and a whole duck—as well as the "Three Cakes"—fish cake, meat cake, and mutton cake—and the "Three Balls"—fish balls, meat balls, and lotus root balls. To prevent the dishes from getting cold, in recent years people in Hubei have taken to placing a hot pot on the New Year's Eve dinner table, filling the atmosphere with warmth and festivity.

    The chicken is not an unusual dish for the reunion dinner, but the people of Hubei have their own unique customs. For example, they traditionally drink chicken soup during the first meal of the New Year, symbolizing "peace and prosperity." There are also specific rules about which part of the chicken each family member should eat. It is said that the main breadwinner of the family should eat the chicken feet, signifying the ability to "grasp wealth" in the coming year, while young students are meant to eat the chicken wings, implying they will "soar high." The rest of the family eats the chicken bones, representing the hope of "rising above others."

    In addition, in areas such as Jingzhou and Shashi, it is customary to eat eggs during the first meal of the New Year. This symbolizes living a solid and down-to-earth life in the new year, embodying wishes for "good fortune and happiness." If guests come to visit, a few tender and smooth poached eggs should be prepared so that they may "wrap gold in silver, wrap silver in gold, and gain both gold and silver" in the coming year.