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- Pick your lucky undergarment: colours that claim to steer your year
- Grapes at midnight: a bite-sized ritual for luck and love
- Carry an empty suitcase to invite travel
- Smash dinnerware for friendship and popularity
- Lentils on the plate: small beans, big prosperity
- Burn your wish and sip the ashes—an intense Russian custom
- Round foods for a circle of good fortune
- Small rituals, big meanings: why these customs persist
As the clock nears midnight, people across the globe follow small rituals that promise better luck, more travel, or a fatter wallet in the coming year. These customs range from playful to dramatic. Each act—simple or strange—says something about what a culture values. Here are some of the most curious and enduring New Year’s superstitions people still practice today.
Pick your lucky undergarment: colours that claim to steer your year
In parts of Latin America, what you wear under your clothes on New Year’s Eve is treated like a secret wish. The colour you choose is thought to set the tone for the next 12 months.
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Common colour meanings
- Red — romance and passion.
- Pink — emotional healing and new relationships.
- Yellow — good fortune and financial growth.
- White — peace and spiritual clarity.
- Green — health and renewal.
Many people mix colours or switch between them each year. The ritual is light-hearted and social. It’s as much about hope as it is about fashion.
Grapes at midnight: a bite-sized ritual for luck and love
In Spain and several Latin countries, people try to eat a grape with each stroke of the clock at midnight. The aim is to finish twelve grapes—one for each month—before the final chime ends.
The challenge is timing. Each grape represents a wish for the corresponding month. Success is seen as a sign of good fortune; fumbling the grapes is part of the fun.
- Prepare grapes ahead of time, peeled or whole.
- Assign a wish to each grape to focus your intent.
- Make it a group game: laughter is often part of the ritual.
Carry an empty suitcase to invite travel
Want more trips in the new year? In several Central and South American communities, people step outside with a suitcase right after midnight. The idea is that this act attracts journeys and new adventures.
What people do: walk a short loop around the block, or parade to the street with luggage. The ritual is playful, and many perform it as a group or family tradition.
Smash dinnerware for friendship and popularity
In Denmark, a noisy habit signals social goodwill. People collect old plates and smash them on friends’ doorsteps after midnight.
The folklore says the larger the broken pile at your door, the more friends and good luck you’ll have in the coming year. It’s rowdy, communal, and part prank.
- Use inexpensive dishes, not heirlooms.
- Coordinate with neighbors to avoid surprises.
- Keep safety in mind—sweep up the shards afterward.
Lentils on the plate: small beans, big prosperity
In Italy, Brazil, and Chile, lentils are a New Year’s staple. Their round, coin-like shape makes them a natural symbol of abundance.
How it’s served: often alongside pork products or in a warm stew. Many believe eating lentils at midnight invites financial stability.
Burn your wish and sip the ashes—an intense Russian custom
In Russia, a dramatic ritual mixes fire and champagne. People write down a wish, burn the paper, and drop the ashes into a glass of bubbly.
The final step is to drink the ashes before the first minute of the year is over. The act is meant to seal intent and welcome rapid change.
Round foods for a circle of good fortune
In the Philippines, roundness equals riches. Tables are laden with circular fruits, pastries, and coins. Each round item represents a coin and, by extension, financial gain.
- Common picks: oranges, grapes, round cakes, and doughnuts.
- Display 12 different round items to represent each month.
- Share the food with guests to spread the luck.
Small rituals, big meanings: why these customs persist
Across continents, these habits reveal common hopes: love, health, money, travel, and connection. The rituals are simple to adopt. They knit families and friends together during the year’s turning point.
Try one for fun, or adapt a few to fit your style. The oldest traditions often survive because they bring people joy, even when they’re a little odd.
