December 26th of the lunar calendar used to be the day to go to butcher’s for meat shopping. In the past, people could only enjoy the meat during festivals because of poverty. Some people raised livestock on their own, and they would ask a butcher to slaughter their pigs, oxen, or sheep. Nowadays, people seldom prepare the festival food on a fixed day but buy meat as they wish.

在過去，農(nóng)歷臘月二十六是籌備過年肉食的重要日子。以前由于普通百姓的日子比較窮苦，人們只能在春節(jié)期間才能買點(diǎn)肉，滿足一下口腹之欲。有些自己飼養(yǎng)牲畜的人則會(huì)專門請屠夫上門宰殺。如今，富裕起來的人們已經(jīng)不必非得等到臘月二十六才能吃上肉食，隨時(shí)可以想吃就吃。

In Chinese tradition, meat represents wealth, and the most famous meat dish is 'braised pork in brown sauce'. The signature red color of braised pork in brown sauce is one of the most significant reasons for its popularity，because red is the color of fire and is a symbol of good fortune and joy in Chinese culture. 

中國傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗中，肉食象征著財(cái)富，而最具盛名的春節(jié)肉食就是“紅燒肉”。因?yàn)榧t燒肉的顏色是紅色，而紅色在中國文化中是火的顏色，是好運(yùn)和歡樂的象征，這也是紅燒肉廣受歡迎的重要原因之一。