The nian gao 年糕or Chinese New Year cake is offered to the Kitchen God before his departure to Heaven each year in order to ensure that he gives a favourbale report. Call it a bribe or a devious ploy but it is a way to make sure that the report for the household comes out roses.
It is because of this belief that the sticky cake or nian gao has become a festive staple.
It is also referred to as Chinese New Year’s cake and because of its is sweet and sticky, it represents family cohesion (alluding to the ideao of the family that sticks together…) and rising fortune. The word Nian is a homonym for both sticky and year, and gao is a homonym for cake and to rise up. It is believed that the higher the cake rises in the steamer, the higher the family fortunes will rise for the year ahead 年高. Besides serving it to the Kitchen God, it is also placed on the altars as offerings to the other deities.
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