Nian Gao, or Chinese New Year’s cake, is sweet and sticky and represents family cohesion (as in, the family that sticks together…) and rising fortune. Nian is a homonym for both sticky and year, and gao is a homonym for cake and to rise up. It is a must at Lunar New Year’s time to wish for a family that is stuck together and for good luck in the coming year. Some say that the higher the cake rises in the steamer, the higher family fortunes will rise in the coming year.
