A CNY special: Food mistakes to avoid over Chinese New Year holiday, from eating congee to chopping chicken

People in Chengdu, southwest China, enjoy a Lunar New Year feast. There are auspicious foods to eat during the festival, and others you should avoid if you want good fortune in the new lunar year. -- Photo: Getty Images via South China Morning Post.

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The Lunar New Year holiday is associated with indulgence. During the festival, dinner tables heave with whole fish, platters of sticky glutinous rice cake, or nin go, and turnip cake, and prosperity boxes overflow with symbolic sweet treats.