Though other versions of yee sang are said to have existed in China, the modern version we all know and love is pretty much an exclusively Malaysian and Singaporean thing. Called ‘yu sheng‘ in Mandarin, it is a dish that represents abundance. As ‘yu‘ means abundance, while ‘sheng‘ means rise or increase, ‘yu sheng‘ means an increase of abundance.
Each ingredient that makes up a serving of yee sang has its own symbolism, mostly due to the Chinese characters of the ingredients being homophones for auspicious sayings.
Here are some examples:
– Fish: Just like the ‘yu‘ in ‘yu sheng‘, fish is also pronounced ‘yu‘ in Mandarin, thus it carries the same meaning of abundance
– Cucumber: Known as ‘ja kua‘ in Chinese, it shares the same pronunciation as the word for returns, signifying having many happy returns in all your ventures
– Carrot: Carrots (hong luo bo) indicate blessings of good luck as it has a homophone in ‘hong yun dang tou‘, which means ‘good luck is approaching’
Finally, it is believed that the higher you toss the yee sang, the more your fortune will grow in the new year, so make sure to toss as high as you can!