Though my Pop always said, “Don’t wish your life away,” I’m kind of looking forward to saying goodbye to 2025. It’s been a rough one for many, and it feels good to imagine a new year that might bring better things.
Many cultures around the world see the New Year as a fresh start, and plenty have traditions meant to draw in a little good luck. In the spirit of improving my odds, I read up on a few and then a few more until I may have fallen down a bit of a rabbit hole.
One tradition I might actually try, if I can manage to stay awake, comes from Spain, where people eat 12 grapes: one at each stroke of midnight. Do it right, and you’re said to secure good luck for the year ahead. Do it wrong, and you could face misfortune or, at the very least, an embarrassing choking incident. Tip for success: Chewing is important when it comes to grapes!
If I were up for a trip to Brazil, I could increase my chances at a great year by jumping in the ocean at midnight and hopping over seven waves for seven wishes. My first wish, if I could brave the water, would be not to be eaten by a shark.
In Greece, it is believed that hanging bundles of onions over the door on New Year’s Eve will bring growth, prosperity, fertility, and abundance. I would not mind three out of four of those, but I am not eager to sacrifice my onions to the winter cold. I need them for my winter stew.
If I had some polka dot pajamas, it would be easy to take part in the tradition of wearing polka dots in the Philippines for New Year’s to bring prosperity. For bonus points, I could add coins to my pockets. I have plenty of coins, but I do not possess polka dot pajamas with pockets.
I could also try to improve my luck by clearing out any bad spirits clouding up my house. In Ireland, these spirits are apparently terrified of bread, and people will bang bread on the walls and doors to shoo them away. That sounds like a crumby way to use up good bread.
If I receive a fancy fruit basket, I could try for luck like they do in Turkey and smash a pomegranate at my doorstep and sprinkle salt in front of my door. The aim is to burst it into as many pieces as possible for a prosperous year. I suppose it’s worth a try, though, with my coordination, I’d likely create more of a crime scene
In Puerto Rico, dumping a bucket of water out the window will keep bad spirits away. I’m guessing in that climate, they don’t have plastic over the window for the winter. However, I could easily incorporate a different Puerto Rican ritual this year. Sprinkling sugar outside the house to invite good luck, I think, is safe for us to do in the winter. Good thing New Year’s isn’t in the summer. Those big, ugly carpenter ants would line up for that.
Yet another tradition that takes place in Scotland and other parts of the world is known as the first footer. Following the belief that the first person through the door sets the tone for the year, people choose someone to visit who brings gifts of coal, salt, shortbread, and whisky to represent basic needs. If you visit me on New Year’s Day, please note that the only whisky I really like is Bailey’s pretending to be coffee creamer.
If I have visitors on New Year’s, I could do as they do in Rome and share a dish sweetened with honey, which is said to bring in a sweet year. And really, when in Rome, why not let the year try to win me over with sugar? At this point, if the year wants to bribe me with sweetness, I am not asking questions.
I am not sure my neighbors would appreciate it if I took part in the Danish custom of breaking dishes on doorsteps. The tradition says that the more broken plates you find outside your own door, the luckier you are. All I see is a trip to urgent care. There has to be an easier way.
I try not to eat too late at night, but I could make an exception to slurp up some buckwheat soba noodles at midnight, as the Japanese tradition goes. The long noodles represent longevity. Or I could cook some lentils, as they do in Italy, for prosperity. In the Netherlands, deep-fried dough balls make the good-fortune menu, and pickled herring tops the list in Scandinavia and Poland.
It sounds like I could cover a lot of bases by having quite a smorgasborud of a midnight snack on New Year’s Eve, but I would gladly go into 2026 with a little heartburn if it meant a lot of luck.
Wishing NSJ’s readers a New Year full of warmth, good fortune, and traditions that do not require broken plates, staying up past your natural bedtime, or pretending you enjoy pickled herring.
