"Red is the color of blood and therefore life, health and strength — the color of all good things in China," says Anderson. So citrus fruits like tangerines — the redder the better — are popular, as well as dried fruits and seeds.

Traditionally, the new year was the one time of year when the Chinese would eat sweets, although in recent decades, they've adopted a more Western diet the rest of the year, he says, including, unfortunately, our penchant for sugar.

And then there are the dumplings — traditionally these were made in homes in northern China, but now they've spread around the world. They are shaped like crescents or spheres, pan-fried (kuo tieh) or boiled (jiaozi). They resemble ancient Chinese money, are stuffed with humble ingredients like pork and cabbage, and are said to bring fortune to the household.

The whole family gathers to chat and make the dumplings, which are eaten between midnight and 2 a.m., says Grace Young, author of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, a book of Chinese recipes and stories, and the Chinese food lore book The Breath of a Wok.

"There's also a custom to place a candied chestnut in a dumpling served to newlyweds," she says. "If the newlyweds get the dumpling, it means they will be blessed with a male child."

In The Breath of a Wok, Lijun Wang, Chinese-American author Amy Tan's sister, shares her dumpling-making memories:

" 'As the jiao-zi boiled it was important not to remove the lid too soon,' says Lijun. 'If you did, it could mean that you'd lose your fortune in the coming year. Sometimes we would put a coin inside one dumpling for luck. On New Year's morning, it was customary not to cook but we were always happy to eat leftover warmed jiao-zi,' recalls Lijun fondly."

And historically, says Anderson, it just made sense to make dumplings when you wanted a little celebration but didn't have a lot of money or food. "In northern China, food was pretty scarce, especially this late in the winter. You're down to what little meat and flour you've got left. You stretch the meat as far as possible," Anderson says.

So why the Chinese new year obsession with wealth, long life and fertility?

"Remember, you're dealing with a place where until very, very recently, starvation was the main cause of death. Getting wealth, fertility and long life was what they wanted," Anderson says.

But really, don't we all want that?

Want to give dumplings a go? Try NPR contributor T. Susan Chang's recipes.

Copyright 2013 NPR.

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Chinese New Year: Dumplings, Rice Cakes And Long Life