New Year traditions that might bring some luck (2024)

FAQs

What brings luck in the new year? ›

Devour Ring-Shaped Foods

Many cultures believe that eating ring-shaped foods like donuts, bagels, and cakes will bring good fortune full-circle. In Greece, a special sweet bread called vasilopita is served at midnight. A coin is placed inside the batter and whoever finds it in their slice will have extra luck!

It is customary to visit a relative or loved one after midnight on Jan. 1 to wish them well. In Spain, they have the "las doce uvas de la suerte," or the twelve grapes of luck. In this tradition, people are to eat 12 grapes during the 12 strokes of midnight to ensure good luck in the coming year.

Estonians feast as many as 7, 9, or even 12 times on New Year's Eve, as they believe for each meal consumed, the person gains the strength of that many men the following year.

Along with black-eyed peas, some cultures believe that grapes, noodles, pork, or pomegranates can be considered lucky when eaten on New Year's.

Like many other cultures, the Pennsylvania Dutch believe eating pork on New Year's Day brings good luck because pigs root around with their snouts in a forward motion. After all, we want to move forward, not backward, in the new year.

Avoid breaking things on the first day. Don't cry on the first day of the year. At midnight, open all doors to let the old year escape. Make loud noises at midnight to scare away evil spirits.

Many believe that if you have money in your wallet at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, money will keep flowing smoothly throughout the year to come. The midnight kiss is a well known tradition throughout the world.

How to make new year's Eve special? ›

Make New Year's Resolutions Together

Do a quick recap of what has happened the past year and share it to have a good laugh. Then get out a piece of paper and plan things to do on New Year at home before midnight and set your resolutions or intentions for the New Year such as what you hope to achieve.

Though the Babylonian New Year's celebration dated back about 4,000 years, the oldest continually celebrated New Year's holiday is the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, that began during China's Shang Dynasty about 3,500 years ago.

Washing laundry over the holiday can also mean washing good luck down the drain with the wash water. For similar reasons, many cultures believe washing your hair on New Year's is also bad luck, so you may want to skip washing anything on the holiday to be safe.

According to the Eastern calendar, 2024 is the year of the Green Wooden Dragon. You must greet this creature with brightness because it is the most revered in China. Red, gold, silver, and white are the lucky colors for 2024. It is believed that the dragon will notice you in such an outfit and bring good luck.

Red, gold, silver, and white are the lucky colors for 2024. It is believed that the dragon will notice you in such an outfit and bring good luck. If none suits you, choose deep purple or flashy brown as the trendiest New Year's Eve colors to wear.

Spend New Year's Eve in meditation

Spend it in quiet meditation or prayer as a way to start the year in peace and harmony. Make sure you arrange for your meditation time to extend past midnight. It's the perfect way to not only start a brand new year but end an old one. You can also do this with others if you prefer.

The Prosperity Ritual

When you return home for the first time in the new year (perhaps after a late-night party), have a bowl of coins sitting outside your front door. Bless them for everything you want in the new year—a handful for abundance, a handful for a healthy baby, etc.

Don't Do Those Dishes

Or take out the trash, or wash your clothes, or sweep your house... as the superstition goes, if you do, you might accidentally wash good luck and loved ones out of your life. Other beliefs state that whatever you do on New Year's is what you'll be doing the rest of the year.