TRAY OF TOGETHERNESS

Picture downloaded from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hale_popoki/98153008/

Food is served to visitors to Chinese homes during the fifteen days of Chinese New Year. In Malaysia, we also serve food like fried noodles, chicken curry, fried chicken and other types of Malaysian food normally offered to guests when festive open houses are held.
There are are off course the sweet and crispy stuff which are put into candy jars so that either ants do not get to them or to preserve the crispiness.
Well, do you know that by right the sweet and auspicious stuff should be served using a candy tray arranged in either a circle or octagon. This arrangement is called "The Tray of Togetherness" or "Tray of Eight Immortals". This tray contains an array of candy or sweet stuff to start the New Year sweetly. In olden times, the adults would place red envelopes or ang pow on the centre compartment of the tray after taking several pieces of candy or sweets from it. Each item in the tray symbolises wishes for the future to welcome guests and relatives who come to visit.
Some auspicious items that can be used to fill the tray of togetherness and their meanings.
*Candied melon - growth and good health
*Red melon seed (kuaci) - dyed red to symbolize joy, happiness, truth and sincerity
*Lychee nut - strong family relationships
*Kumquat - prosperity (gold)
*dried coconut strips- togetherness
*Peanuts - longevity
*Longan - many good sons
*Lotus seed - many children