餃子VS盆菜？南北春節習俗對比圖鑑 | 老師專欄

從臘月廿三到正月十五，一覽南北年俗的巧妙差異，與香港獨有的融合之美。From the twenty-third of the twelfth moon to the Lantern Festival: the subtle differences between northern and southern New Year customs, and the blend that is uniquely Hong Kong's.

This article was originally written in Traditional Chinese. The English translation is provided for reference only.

爆竹聲中一歲除，春風送暖入屠蘇。As firecrackers see the old year out, the spring wind breathes warmth into the tusu wine.

春節將至，當北方雪花飄落時，南方的年花正絢爛綻放。無論你來自冰封的北國還是温暖的南方，春節的文化血脈始終相連。漢源特別整理這份從臘月到元宵的南北春節習俗對比，以時間為序，一覽南北風情的巧妙差異與香港獨有的融合之美。Lunar New Year is almost upon us. While the snow comes down in the north, the New Year flowers of the south are in full bloom. Whether your home is the frozen north or the warm south, the cultural bloodline of the festival runs through us all. Han Yuan has put together this comparison of northern and southern New Year customs, from the twelfth moon through to the Lantern Festival, following the days in order, so that you can see at a glance the subtle differences between the two and the blend of both that belongs to Hong Kong alone.

小年起幕：臘月廿三、廿四The season opens: the 23rd and 24th of the twelfth moon

北方時光｜臘月廿三·過小年：「祭灶王，糖瓜粘」。北方小年隆重祭灶，供奉糖瓜、關東糖，祈願灶王爺「上天言好事」。In the north | The 23rd, Little New Year. As the saying goes, offer to the Kitchen God and the malt-sugar sticks. In the north the Kitchen God is honoured with full ceremony, with offerings of sugar melons and Guandong candy, in the hope that he will speak well of the household when he reports to heaven.

大掃除（掃房）正式開始，窗花、福字陸續上牆。The big clean, known as sweeping the house, begins in earnest, and paper-cut window flowers and 福 characters start going up on the walls.

南方風景｜臘月廿四：傳統「謝灶」儀式後，家家「洗邋遢」（大掃除）。In the south | The 24th. After the traditional rite of thanking the Kitchen God, every household does its sai laat taat, the annual spring clean.

年貨採買進入高峯，象徵「好意頭」的柑橘、年花開始裝點家門。New Year shopping reaches its peak, and mandarin oranges and flowering plants, all of them bearers of good fortune, begin to decorate the doorway.

香港傳統家庭會在這天拜祭灶君，並用甘蔗祭灶，寓意「節節高升」。Traditional Hong Kong families make their offering to the Kitchen God on this day, using sugar cane, whose jointed stalk stands for rising higher joint by joint.

團圓除夕New Year's Eve: the reunion

北方時光｜餃子霸桌，守歲迎新。必吃餃子：形似元寶，包入硬幣（財源廣進）、紅棗（甜蜜美滿）。In the north | Dumplings rule the table, and the family sits up for the new year. Dumplings are a must: shaped like gold ingots, and stuffed with a coin for wealth flowing in, or a red date for a sweet and contented life.

硬菜滿滿：東北「四大件」（雞、魚、排骨、肘子）、北京烤鴨、肉皮凍，體現豪邁豐足。Hearty dishes in abundance: the northeastern big four of chicken, fish, pork ribs and pork knuckle, along with Peking duck and pork aspic, food that speaks of open-handedness and plenty.

嚴格守歲：全家圍坐看春晚，午夜鐘聲響起，鞭炮齊鳴。The vigil is kept strictly: the whole family sits together to watch the Spring Festival Gala, and as the midnight bell sounds, the firecrackers go off all at once.

南方風景｜佳餚意頭，花市夜遊。無雞不成宴：白切雞、豉油雞必上桌，「雞」同「吉」，寓意吉祥開端。In the south | Auspicious dishes and a night at the flower market. No banquet is complete without chicken: poached white-cut chicken and soy sauce chicken must appear on the table, because gai (chicken) echoes gat (auspicious), for a lucky start to the year.

魚留頭尾：香港及廣東許多家庭將年夜魚的頭尾留到初一，象徵「年年有餘」連綿不絕。Head and tail held back: many families in Hong Kong and Guangdong keep the head and tail of the New Year's Eve fish until the first day of the year, a sign that the surplus carries on unbroken from one year to the next.

盆菜團圓：層層疊疊的盆菜，是「盆滿缽滿」的生動寫照。Poon choi for the reunion: the great basin, layer upon layer, is a vivid picture of bowls and pots filled to the brim.

逛花市：晚餐後全家逛年宵花市，買桃花（旺人緣）、水仙（招好運），迎接新春。A walk through the flower market: after dinner the whole family strolls the New Year fair, buying peach blossom for good relationships and narcissus for good luck, to welcome the spring in.

大年初一The first day of the new year

北方時光｜拜年磕頭，吃餃祈福。晨起祭祖：家中祭拜祖先，緬懷祈福。In the north | New Year calls and kowtows, dumplings and prayers. Rising early to honour the ancestors: the family pays its respects at home, remembering those who came before and praying for blessings.

隆重拜年：晚輩向長輩行磕頭或鞠躬禮，長輩發放壓歲錢。New Year greetings with full ceremony: the young kowtow or bow to their elders, and the elders hand out lucky money.

飲食：多吃除夕剩下的餃子或飯菜，堅守「年年有餘」。At table: mostly the dumplings and dishes left over from New Year's Eve, holding fast to the wish for a surplus every year.

南方風景｜素齋清香，祈福行運。祈福活動：許多家庭前往黃大仙祠爭上「頭炷香」。In the south | Light vegetarian fare and prayers for a fortunate year. Praying for blessings: many families head to Wong Tai Sin Temple to compete for the honour of offering the first incense stick.

派利是：已婚者向未婚者派發「利是」（紅包），講意頭不講金額。Giving lai see: married adults give lai see, the red packets, to those who are unmarried; it is the good wish that counts, not the amount.

全天吃素：香港及廣東家庭年初一常吃素（羅漢齋等），寓意一年清淨平安，也是對自然的感恩。Vegetarian all day: families in Hong Kong and Guangdong often eat vegetarian food on the first day, dishes such as lo hon jai, for a year of calm and peace, and as a way of giving thanks to nature.

大年初二：回門開年，親情洋溢The second day: home visits and the opening of the year

北方時光｜姑爺節，回娘家。女婿攜厚禮探望岳父母，北方俗稱「迎婿日」，是女兒回門團聚的重要日子。In the north | The sons-in-law's day, and a visit to the wife's family. The son-in-law calls on his parents-in-law bearing generous gifts; in the north the day is known as the day of welcoming the son-in-law, and it is an important reunion for the married daughter returning home.

家庭盛宴：岳家設宴款待，團圓再續。A family feast: the wife's family lays on a banquet, and the reunion continues.

南方風景｜開年飯，紅火迎新。回娘家：女兒攜夫帶子回娘家團聚。In the south | The opening-the-year meal, and a bright welcome to the new. Home to mother's: the daughter returns with her husband and children for a family reunion.

豐盛開年：午餐「開年飯」極為隆重，必有燒肉（紅皮赤壯）、乳豬（鴻運當頭）、燒鵝等，象徵新年紅火富足。A lavish start: the opening-the-year lunch is a grand affair, always including roast pork for health and vigour, suckling pig for great good fortune, and roast goose, all standing for a prosperous and abundant new year.

香港特色｜祈福轉運：不少家庭前往車公廟求籤、轉動風車，祈求新年好運。Hong Kong | Praying for a turn of luck: many families go to Che Kung Temple to draw fortune sticks and turn the pinwheel, asking for good luck in the year ahead.

煙花盛典：晚間可觀賞農曆新年煙花匯演，維港上空璀璨奪目。Fireworks: in the evening comes the Lunar New Year fireworks display, dazzling above Victoria Harbour.

大年初三The third day of the new year

北方時光｜老鼠娶親，早睡遲起。忌拜年：傳統稱「老鼠娶親日」或「赤狗日」，不宜外出拜年，以免生口舌。In the north | The mice take a bride: early to bed, late to rise. No New Year calls: tradition names this the day the mice marry, or the day of the red dog, when it is unwise to go visiting in case words are exchanged.

宅家休息：人們通常早早熄燈休息，實為讓連軸轉的家人得以休整。Resting at home: people usually put the lights out early, which in truth gives a family that has been on the go without a break a chance to recover.

南方風景｜赤口避爭，輕鬆出遊。忌拜年：同樣稱為「赤口」，為避是非，傳統不拜年。In the south | Chek hau: keep away from quarrels and take it easy. No New Year calls: the day is likewise called chek hau, the red mouth, and tradition says to skip visiting so as to avoid disputes.

户外活動：成為家庭出遊日。香港家庭常選擇郊野公園踏青、觀看賀歲賽馬（沙田馬場），或看一場合家歡賀歲電影。Out and about: it becomes a day out for the family. Hong Kong families often choose a country park for a walk in the fresh air, watch the Chinese New Year races at Sha Tin Racecourse, or take in a family New Year film.

大年初四至元宵：延續的年味From the fourth day to the Lantern Festival: the new year lingers

北方時光｜破五迎財，元宵燈會。初五「破五」：吃餃子、「送窮」、迎財神，商家多選此日開市。In the north | Breaking the fifth, welcoming wealth, and the lantern fair. On the fifth day, po wu, people eat dumplings, send poverty on its way and welcome the God of Wealth; most businesses choose this day to open their doors for the year.

元宵高潮（正月十五）：吃元宵（搖製，餡料偏甜），逛大型燈會、猜燈謎，年節在熱鬧中收官。The climax at the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first moon: yuanxiao are eaten, rolled rather than wrapped and sweeter in filling, and everyone goes to the big lantern fairs to guess lantern riddles, bringing the season to a lively close.

南方風景｜人日慶生，元宵共聚。初七「人日」：全家吃「及第粥」或「七寶羹」，慶賀每個人的生日。In the south | Everyone's birthday, and the Lantern Festival together. On the seventh day, yan yat, the family eats kap dai congee or seven-treasure soup to celebrate the birthday that everybody shares.

元宵佳節：吃湯圓（甜鹹皆有），寓意團圓。The Lantern Festival: tong yuen are eaten, sweet or savoury, standing for the family made whole.

香港特色｜大埔林村許願節（至正月十五），可拋寶牒許願，氣氛熱鬧。Hong Kong | The Well-wishing Festival at Lam Tsuen in Tai Po runs until the fifteenth day of the first moon, where you can throw a wishing paper up into the tree amid a lively crowd.

整個春節期間，各地廟宇香火鼎盛，參拜祈福活動不斷。Throughout the New Year period, temples everywhere are thick with incense and there is a constant stream of worshippers praying for blessings.

萬家燈火照歸人Ten thousand lamps light the traveller home

從北方餃子裏吃出的硬幣叮噹，到香港盆菜中撈起的鮮蝦飽滿；從初一的素齋清心，到初三馬場的奔騰熱鬧——形式萬千，心意相通。From the clink of a coin found inside a northern dumpling to a plump prawn lifted out of a Hong Kong poon choi; from the clear-headed vegetarian food of the first day to the thunder of hooves at the racecourse on the third. The forms are countless, the feeling is one and the same.

春節的真諦，在於感恩過往，珍惜當下，祈願未來。無論根在何方，願這份南北對比，能為您在香港的春節增添一份理解的温暖與融合的趣味。The heart of Lunar New Year lies in gratitude for what has passed, care for the present and hope for what is to come. Wherever your roots may lie, we hope this comparison of north and south adds a little warmth of understanding, and a little of the pleasure of two traditions meeting, to your New Year in Hong Kong.

小編整理：今年香港春節期間活動Our round-up: Lunar New Year events in Hong Kong this year

1. 大年初一（2月17日）：國泰新春國際匯演之夜。1. The first day of the new year (17 February): the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade.

2. 年廿四至大年初一（2月11日至17日清晨）：農曆新年年宵市場。由大年初一前一週開始，城中各處都會舉辦年宵市場，售賣寓意吉祥的年花，亦有小吃攤檔炮製傳統賀年美食。2. From the 24th of the twelfth moon to the first day of the new year (11 February to the early hours of 17 February): the Lunar New Year fairs. Beginning a week before New Year's Day, fairs open across the city selling auspicious New Year flowers, along with stalls turning out traditional festive snacks.

3. 大年初二（2月18日）：2026年農曆新年煙花匯演。3. The second day of the new year (18 February): the 2026 Lunar New Year Fireworks Display.

4. 大年初三（2月19日）：馬年賽馬日。適逢大年初三，記得蒞臨沙田馬場參與馬年賽馬日。4. The third day of the new year (19 February): the Chinese New Year Raceday. It falls on the third day of the new year, so do come along to Sha Tin Racecourse for the Year of the Horse raceday.

5. 大年初一至年十五（2月17日至3月3日）：香港許願節2026．大埔林村。5. From the first to the fifteenth day of the new year (17 February to 3 March): the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival 2026 at Lam Tsuen, Tai Po.

6. 到訪廟宇參拜祈福：農曆新年當然要前往黃大仙祠參拜祈福，趨吉避凶；亦可到車公廟以順時針方向轉轉風車三圈，以求好運，新一年事事順景。6. A temple visit to pray for blessings: Lunar New Year calls for a trip to Wong Tai Sin Temple to pray for good fortune and keep misfortune at bay. You can also go to Che Kung Temple and turn the pinwheel three times clockwise, for luck and a smooth year ahead.

餃子VS盆菜？南北春節習俗對比圖鑑Dumplings or Poon Choi? A North-South Guide to Lunar New Year Customs