Some of the most important family traditions he could remember were those related to birthday celebrations, the Lunar New Year, and many of the Chinese holidays he celebrated throughout the year. On someone's birthday, they were served a red chicken egg to celebrate the birth of their chickens. If possible, they would also be served a chicken wing from one of them. This was rare because they were often trying to save what they had of their livestock. During the Lunar New Year, his family always tried to earn enough money to buy a chicken to cook. The chicken was marinated in water and salt and used as an offering to Chinese deities and their ancestors before being served to the family. My mother told me that the chicken symbolizes family unity. Worshiping and honoring their ancestors and deities played an important role in my mother and her family's Chinese holidays. These festivals took place throughout the year and his family always cooked different dishes to offer before the altar with incense in their home. Chicken has always been one of them, along with steamed gai lan, pig's feet made with lotus root and Chinese roast pork. There were always six or eight different dishes because these numbers symbolized luck, wealth, prosperity and good business. Zongzi (Chinese tamales) were one of the foods whose preparation method was passed down from generation to generation and were made to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. The family would gather to prepare them and cook the foods for the offering later that night. They were made of rice, peanuts, pork belly or Chinese sausage, and salted duck eggs wrapped in large bamboos