Exchange of food and gifts with nearby temples could be especially elaborate, depending on one's relationship with the head priest. Sweet pastries are not normally consumed in the traditional Chinese diet, but they are considered special treats for festive occasions. The most popular New Year dessert is niangao, a sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding. Like jiaozi, the Pudding may be filled with date paste, walnuts, or preserved egg yolks because these items represent long life, harmony, and many children. For decoration, the top of the pudding is ornamented with pine and cypress branches, which symbolise longevity.
Horses eating it develop stumble-feet.
If young cats and dogs eat it, their legs will become bent so they cannot walk. Jia Ming lived to be over one hundred years of age and attributed his longevity to the exercise of caution over what he ate and drank. Niangao from Ningpo is not sweet but salty in taste, with vegetables, shredded meat, cabbage, turnip, or spinach being added to the mixture. The niangao from Jiangsu Province is considered noteworthy because it is made from reddish-purple rice which gives the finished cake a natural redness. The addition of pine seeds, walnuts, and sweet osmanthus, give it a distinctive flavour much appreciated in the central provinces of China.