On Chinese New Year's Eve, people who have been busy for a whole year and away from home will all return to their families to enjoy a reunion dinner. It is considered as the most important meal for gathering of the entire year. Family members usually sit around the table to enjoy the feast prepared many days prior to this event. This custom originates from ancient traditions of worship ceremonies at the end of every year, in which deities and ancestors were honored with tributes and meals by people in a wish for a good harvest and a well-off life.

The family reunion dinner is very large with various dishes mainly including dumplings, chicken, fish, and pork. As with almost any Chinese meal, excess food is a customary necessity which shows wealthier life and improved living standard, but since people’s awareness of saving food has raised, more families prepare meals in an economical way to prevent extravagance and waste.

There are many symbolic "lucky" dishes whose auspicious meanings are mainly based on their Chinese pronunciation or appearance. For example, "fish", the must on the Chinese New Year dinner table, represents an increase in prosperity because its homophone means "surplus", or prosperous. Chinese people always wish to have a surplus at the end of the year, so they can make more in the new year.

Chinese dumplings are also related to wealth because they look like Yuan Bao, the Chinese shoe-shaped silver ingots. Moreover, different dumpling fillings have different lucky meanings as well. In southern cities, people are fond of the glutinous rice cake (Nian Gao), which could indicate a higher position or income.

Besides the feast itself, the New Year's Eve is full of accompanying activities, among which the most expected is the CCTV New Year Gala. The whole family enjoy the delicious meal while watch the interesting show in a harmonious ambiance till the midnight, waiting for the advent of the New Year.