New Year Lucky Things to Do – New Year’s Eve Traditions

New Years Eve and New Year’s day are surrounded by traditions and superstitions. After all, it is the start of a New Year. According to these myths & superstitions, we’re giving you a list of 20 things you can do to ensure good luck in the new year.

1.  Plan your menu:  Don’t eat chicken, turkey or beef on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Chicken and turkey scratch backward, and cows stand still – no one wants to go in either direction heading into the New Year, ah, and don’t forget to avoid crabs – which walk sideways or lobsters, which swim backward.  The thought is to move forward (progress,) so stick to pork, lamb, fish, shrimp, mussels, clams, oysters or scallops. We have lots more info on New Years lucky foods if you’re interested.
2. Go grocery shopping: A full fridge or pantry is supposed to ensure abundance in the New Year. Make sure and purchase New Year’s Lucky fruits. Make sure to purchase New Year’s Lucky fruits like grapes, oranges, apples, and pomegranates. Please read the rest of this blog first, so you know what items to add to your grocery list!
3. Cook up beans, greens and cabbage: These foods represent coins and cash for abundance. Spice up greens with flavors like garlic, lemon, or bacon.
4. Visit an ATM machine:  Debit cards in your wallet won’t do the trick. You need to withdraw and have cash in your wallet going into the New Year to bring prosperity. Be sure to spend at least a little for good measure.
5. Replace dead indoor plants:  Don’t keep last year’s lucky with you. Throw away plants that aren’t doing well and replace them with new ones. Buy a new plant: Throw out old sad plants and welcome new leafy luck.
6. Pick your underwear color carefully:  Red – A year of romance and passion. Blue – A year of good health. Green – A year of better luck. Pink – A year of luck in love. White – A year of happiness, peace, and joy. Yellow – A year of prosperity.
7. Pick your outfit: The most popular colors worn on New Year’s Eve are Red for love and luck, White for happiness and New Beginnings, Gold for Prosperity, Silver for financial success, Purple for power and ambition, Yellow for money and wealth, Green for growth and energy, and Blue for peace and tranquility.

Things to Do at Midnight and throughout New Year’s Day

1. Make noise: Firecrackers, noise makers or even banging pots and pots is said to scare away any evil spirits that may have taken up residence in your home. This is the reason church bells are often rung at midnight.
2. Kiss at midnight: This will ensure affection in the coming year.
3. Pop a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine:  Popping the cork makes noise, and the bubbles go up from the bottle of the glass, symbolizing things looking up in the new year. Toast to hope & luck in the future. (interesting fact, toasting can be traced back to the Greeks and Romans when they lifted their pitchers of wine in celebration after winning a battle. The party’s host would drink the wine first to ensure it was not poisoned.)
4. Eat 12 grapes at midnight:  12 represents one for each month in the New Year.  Make a wish as you eat each one.  If you bight into a sour one, that may mean that particular month will be a difficult one for you.
5. Eat at least one long noodle in one piece (without chewing) for a good long life, so you will need a big pot to boil them whole.
6. Open window policy: Open some doors and windows at midnight: Let the old year out and welcome the new Year!
7. What is the New Year’s tradition with buckets of water?
8. Throw a glass or bucket of water out a door or window: A common Latin American New Year’s tradition is to toss a bucket of water out a door or window at midnight to clear out the old year and drive away evil spirits as well as tossing your woes and old tears away.
9. Pack your bags and walk around the block: For the travel-obsessed, walking out of your house with luggage open, taking your luggage around your block, or to the end of the street will bring you many travel opportunities in the upcoming year. If the weather is bad, you can just walk around your house a couple of times. For travelers, roll your bags around the block to manifest trips.
10. Eat a bowl of beans: Black-eyed peas or lentils are at the top of the list for lucky foods, but all beans will work. Beans symbolize coins that will bring money in the new year, and they “swell” when you cook them, another sign for abundance.
11. Eat your greens:  Greens are said to “Show you the money!” Cooked collard, spinach, cabbage and kale are all said to represent paper money. Germans eat lots of sauerkraut, Danish like their kale sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar while in the U.S., collards are quite popular. It’s certainly easy enough to throw some spinach or kale into your bowl of black-eyed peas or lentils.  Perhaps Gas-X should be on your grocery list as well.
12. Do Something Successful:  You should do something productive that aligns with your goals on this day, setting the tone for the rest of the year.  Consider exercise, menu planning, budgeting or even a little work. How about making that list of New Year’s resolutions? Exercise or work on goals: Do something productive aligned with your resolutions to set the right tone.

1. Don’t use any sharp objects on New Year’s Day (no knives, scissors, etc.), or you will “cut” your luck for the New Year.
2. Don’t do laundry, wash your hair, or clean the house: The theory is you don’t want to wash away luck or set the tone for a year of hard work. Also, you don’t want to “sweep” your newfound luck out the door.
3. Nothing leaves the house on New Years day:  Nothing goes out, unless you want people to be leaving you all year and you want to be paying and giving things away all year. Don’t even take out the trash.
4. Don’t cry:  Be happy and in a good mood, so that will carry into the New Year.  You may feel more sadness than happiness in the coming year if you cry.
5. Buy a horseshoe:  Sleep with a horseshoe under your pillow on New Year’s Eve for good luck.

As you can see, for us superstitious sorts, New Year’s Day offers the chance go totally nuts with odd New Years Traditions and Superstitions.