New Year's is the time to start fresh. Everyone wants the new year to bring luck, fortune and all good things. So many follow traditions by eating foods at midnight or on New Year's Day. We grew up eating black-eyed peas with ham. Here is a fun list of traditional eats for your New Year! Look good enough to eat??
Black Eyed Peas - This is an American tradition and comes straight from the south. It is thought that if you eat Black-eyed peas on New Years day, then you will be sure to experience a year of good fortune.
Lentils - This is an Italian ritual, similar to the black-eyed peas. So, if you are not fond of the Black-eyed legumes, try the lentils this year for your spot of good fortune.
Greens - Collard Greens anyone? Well, anything green is thought to bring prosperity...because they look like paper money!
Ham - Serve this on New Year's day and your year will be filled with happiness, progress and prosperity. Pigs are rather large animals so they symbolize prosperity. They also root forward with their snouts, which apparently symbolizes progress.
Cornbread - The golden hue represents gold, of course.
Throw that ham in with those peas or lentils, add some greens and get an extra shot of fortune, happiness and a bit of prosperity.
Grapes - This tradition comes from Spain. You'll need 12 grapes each, one for each month. At midnight on New Year's, the revelers each eat 12 grapes. The legend says for every sweet grape you get, you will have that many lucky months, and for the sour...well, let's just say you really want sweet grapes only!
Soba Noodles - This Japanese tradition is practiced at midnight on New Year's. Eating buckwheat or soba noodles, as long as possible are thought to bring abundance and long life.
Fish - Thought to be lucky because their scales resemble coins, they swim in schools and they swim forward...which symbolize abundance and progress.
Pomegranate - In Greece once the New Year turns, the tradition is to smash a pomegranate on the ground in front of the door. The more seeds revealed the better...to bring prosperity and good fortune.
Circular Foods (i.e. donuts, bagels, ring shaped cakes) - These foods are not only fun, but they are thought to bring good luck because of their shape, symbolizing "coming full circle".
Coin Shaped Foods - Any food shaped as a coin should bring you prosperity.
What New Year's traditions do you follow in your family in hopes of bringing luck for the New Year??
