The New Year is fast approaching, and I’m sure we all want to start 2025 on the right foot. So, after a month of gatherings and indulgences, the time has come to start setting our intentions, goals and resolutions for next year, in which case, it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in a little fun holiday ‘good-luck’ traditions.

In actual fact, the practice of eating specific foods for luck during New Year’s celebrations goes back thousands of years, and each has its own fascinating story or anecdote. Here, yufeed will share with you some of the most popular good-luck-foods for the New Year, and hopefully inspire some of you to work them into your plans and enjoy them with families and loved ones.

Let’s get started.

10 New Year’s Food Traditions that Bring Good Luck!

1. Grapes: a common practice in Spain, Mexico, Portugal and Cuba; it is believed that eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, one for each month of the year will guarantee sweetness and good fortune. This tradition is said to have started in 1909 by grape growers who wanted to cut down on a surplus of grapes, and has continued as a cherished family tradition in many households until today.
2. Other round fruits such as apples and oranges: prevalent in Asian cultures, where they are a symbol of prosperity and wealth. Going back thousands of years, the round shape of the fruits is meant to represent coins, i.e. money, thereby attracting good fortune in the year ahead.
3. Beans and lentils: believed by some to be a symbol of prosperity and growth, and to others, a symbol of humility, thereby attracting good fortune. Though consuming beans during new year’s celebrations is most prevalent in America’s southern states, they also represent good luck and fortune in Italy, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Hungary and Japan.
4. Leafy green vegetables, such as lettuce, kale and spinach: green being the most common colour associated with money, consuming these leafy greens over New Year’s celebrations is thought to bring prosperity, wealth and good fortune. Serving these healthy power foods over New Year’s Eve is popular in many countries, but namely Germany and Denmark – and, not only do they bring good luck, but they are also a good way to start getting back into good habits after all the end of year festivities and indulgences.
5. Fish: depending on the culture or country, fish is eaten on New Year’s for different reasons. For some, they are considered to be a symbol of abundance because fish swim in big schools or a sign of good fortune for their shiny scales. This tradition is most popular in Europe, namely Italy, France, Germany and Scandinavia, as well as in Japan to bring prosperity and wealth.
6. Noodles: most popular in the majority of Asian countries, as their long shape symbolizes health and longevity. There is however, a rule of thumb, which is that you must eat at least one whole noodle without chewing it to ensure a long and healthy life. Traditionally, these are consumed at the stroke of midnight, with the belief that the longer the noodle, the better!
7. Grains, such as rice, quinoa, barley… etc: all of which are symbolic of abundance and are traditionally consumed either at the stroke of or right after midnight to bring good luck for the year ahead. Also, did you know that in Indian mythology, rice is used in religious ceremonies, as it’s believed that they can soak up evil energy and any bad omens?
8. Root vegetables: another good and healthy way to get your eating habits back on track in time for the New Year. According to Ayurvedic Medicine, the theory is that when you eat these vegetables, you consume their deeply rooted and grounded energy, thereby helping you begin the year with a calming and grounding effect on the mind and body.
9. Sweet Treats: of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration if not for a few indulgences. Not only are they always fun to eat, but in some cases, they are believed to be a sign of impending good fortune. In Greek tradition for example, St. Basil’s bread, known as vasilopita, plays an important role. The bread is sweet and baked with a coin hidden in it. At midnight, families turn off the lights, and everyone gets a slice of the bread. The family member who gets the piece of bread with the coin inside is guaranteed to have good luck in the New Year.
10. Cornbread: said to symbolize gold, cornbread is a popular New Year’s southern United States tradition. Some families add extra corn kernels to ensure extra luck. Due to its golden colour, some like to use a drizzle of honey or honey butter as a topping on their cornbread to add even more good luck.

Here they are, to name a few! So if you’re wondering what to serve on New Year’s Eve, to bring you and your family a little extra luck next year, we hope this list will help!

Please feel free to reach out and share with us from your good-luck New Year’s traditions!