Is there in your country a food that it is cooked only in special occasions?!
Answers: In Romania we have "coliva". It is only cooked at funerals.
For my Vietnamese-Chinese traditions:
1. Sweet-mung-bean sticky rice bun (called Banh Tet in Vietnamese and Jung in Chinese, which is much like a Tamales-style of food) = Vietnamese and Chinese New Year. Sweet mung bean for Vietnamese style and salty mung bean with a bit of pork for Chinese style. (On the same date on the same lunar calendar.)
2. Red fried melon seeds, red candies, white-sugared winter-melon candies, baby tangerines, and other brightly colored candies and fruits = also Vietnamese and Chinese New Year.
3. Various-colored gluten balls in a sweet soup (called Tong Yuen in Chinese) for Jan. 15th (on lunar calendar) = the Chinese Yuen-Siu holiday, which is a more popular celebration for the end of New Year (actually a full 2-week celebration) in China and Taiwan than here in the U.S.
4. Various styles of moon cakes (called Banh Trung Thu in Vietnamese and Jung Chow Beng in Chinese) = the Mid-Autumn-Festival that celebrates the harvest crop (celebrated both in Vietnamese and Chinese traditions on the same lunar day of August 15th).
5. A whole roast pig = common in Chinese traditional "Thanksgiving" occasions at the temple (later shared with friends, relatives and neighbors), such as celebrating a newborn baby's one-month arrival, after car accidents (or any other accidents) in which a person escaped unscathed (with minimal bodily injury), or celebrating an answered-prayer for career successes.....also common in Vietnamese weddings.
6. "Wife Cookies" (called Low Paw Beng in Chinese) = to pass out with ALL wedding banquet invitations to relatives and friends in both Chinese and Vietnamese-Chinese traditional weddings.
7. "Red hard-boiled eggs" (colored-shell, much like Easter eggs) = popular in Chinese tradition to pass out as newborn-baby-arrival announcements with the Roast Pig meat in a plastic bag to all friends and neighbors; and on each subsequent birthday (for the birthday-girl or boy only, still considered as a "kid" until marriage).
8. Simple stir-fry vegetable dishes and small bowls of steamed white rice = funerals.
9. Various styles of rice porridge (instead of chicken noodle soup) = homemade or restaurant-ordered, as an affectionate expression of our caring for sick friends and relatives.
10. "Birthday noodles," a much thinner-than-egg-noodle type that is very light-yellow in color = strictly for the birthday-girl or boy, as the "lengthy" noodles symbolize longevity.
In India, we have lots of foods that are cooked on special occasions. Halwa or sheera (sweet) is made as prasad for religious offerings. Kheer is made as a baby's first taste of food (besides milk). Bhang is a very special drink enjoyed during the Holi festival. Tilgul is eaten during Sankrant.
Turkey and whole hams are only cooked at my house on Thanksgiving.
In Phlippines:
The Lechon (Roasted Whole Pig)
Hot rice with a plating of banana leaves.
It serves only in fiestas or occasionally only.
My Italian grandmother always makes an "Easter egg bread/cake", and so do my Greek friends. I guess it's a European tradition, and I love it!
edit:
what is coliva?
In the USA alot of people make Fruitcake for Christmas and a bunch of frosted/decorated cut out cookies.
Turkey,dressing whipped potato's,yams and Pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.Very Traditional.
New Years eve it's herring and cocktail rye bread.
In Iraq We used to make "Toorshana" which an entree but it is sweet, only on New years Eve or day because it is preferred that we receive the new year with sweetness.
Yes 50 years ago there were a lot, but today, as Germany became richer, they make every food, they can sell. There are some restrictions. For excample in my town all breweries together brewed in March a special beer --- "Senats Bock" It is a pity that they stopped in the 70's.
It`s a very good thing that we have summer and winter, so that Chrismas Stollen does not taste in summer.
Greetings from Hamburg, Germany