Discover popular New Year’s superstitions and their origins. What not to do on New Year’s Day?

Discover popular superstitions and traditions associated with New Year’s Day, and learn about their origins.

Many people consider the first of January a magical date and believe that “as in the New Year, as in the whole year.”

This belief has led to many customs and rituals associated with this day.

For example, hanging laundry on New Year’s Eve is considered bad luck, but certain foods, like lentils and pork, are believed to bring wealth and happiness in the new year.

First of January and New Year

The first of January became popular as the beginning of the new year in parts of Europe following the introduction of the Julian calendar by Julius Caesar. However, our ancestors often followed nature in terms of time, so the winter solstice was an important landmark for them and was associated with various rituals and traditions. In the Czech territory, the first of January became more popular as the beginning of the new year only in the 16th century after the introduction of the Gregorian calendar.

In Europe, the first of January, as the beginning of the new year, became more popular only in the 16th century after the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. Several old sayings, customs, and traditions have always been related to the arrival of the new year.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are celebrated with various traditions and superstitions in the United States. While superstitions can vary among individuals and regions, here are some common New Year’s superstitions in the USA.

It’s important to note that these superstitions are often passed down through generations and are rooted in cultural traditions. While many people observe them for fun or as a cultural practice, their significance can vary widely among individuals.

1. Midnight Kiss:
   • It is widely believed that kissing someone at midnight on New Year’s Eve ensures love and good luck in the coming year.
2. First-Footing:
   • Some people believe that the first person to enter their home after the stroke of midnight should be a tall, dark-haired man. This is considered to bring good luck.
3. Lucky Foods:
   • Eating certain foods on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day is thought to bring luck. For example, black-eyed peas, greens, and pork are believed to symbolize prosperity and good fortune.
4. Breaking Old Items:
   • In some regions, people practice “first-footing” by tossing old items, such as furniture or appliances, out of windows or doors to symbolize a fresh start in the new year.
5. Noise-Making:
   • Making noise at the stroke of midnight, through fireworks, bells, or loud music, is believed to drive away evil spirits and welcome the new year with positive energy.
6. Resolutions:
   • While not a superstition, making New Year’s resolutions is expected in the USA. Many people set goals for self-improvement or positive changes in the coming year.
7. Circles and Rings:
   • Circular shapes, representing the completion of a full year, are considered lucky. Wearing items like round jewelry or displaying circular decorations is believed to bring good fortune.
8. Putting Money in Shoes:
   • Some people place money in their shoes or wallets to ensure financial prosperity in the new year.
9. Watching Fireworks:
   • Watching fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve is considered auspicious, symbolizing the banishment of negativity and the arrival of a bright and hopeful future.
10. Avoiding Negative Actions:
    • Many superstitions involve avoiding specific actions on New Year’s Day, such as refraining from crying, paying off debts, or engaging in arguments. These practices are thought to set the tone for a positive year.

What to cook for the New Year?

Many New Year’s superstitions and customs are related to food, and consuming certain foods is believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year.

For example, lentils are a traditional dish that is believed to provide us with enough money in the next twelve months. Pork is often served with lentils, as it is believed to be the best combination for wealth and happiness.

An egg is also a symbol of new life and can be consumed as a side dish, such as in the form of an ox’s eye. Lentil soup is another popular dish that is believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year.

By the way, lentils can be consumed not only as a main dish. Lentil soup for the New Year will also guarantee that money will stick to you.

On New Year’s Eve, there are certain customs and superstitions that some people follow in order to ensure good luck for the upcoming year.

One such belief is that one should avoid serving poultry or other birds on the dinner table, as it is said that luck could fly away from the house.

Similarly, fish should also be avoided, as it is believed that luck could swim away, and rabbit or hare should not be served either, as luck could run away from us.

Another tradition involves baking various pastries on New Year’s Eve, particularly on Christmas Eve. People used to bake a pea or a coin into the dough, and whoever found it in their piece of pastry was believed to have good luck and plenty of money in the coming year.

Lastly, certain foods guarantee good luck if eaten before New Year’s breakfast or lunch. According to superstitions, eating a stew with horseradish and apples at midnight on New Year’s Eve can also bring good luck.

In the United States, there isn’t a specific traditional dish universally associated with New Year’s Day in the same way that certain foods are linked to other holidays. However, some people have regional or personal traditions when it comes to New Year’s Day meals. Here are a few examples:

1. Black-Eyed Peas and Greens:
   • In some Southern states, eating black-eyed peas and greens (such as collard greens or kale) on New Year’s Day is believed to bring good luck and prosperity. The peas symbolize coins, and the greens represent money.
2. Pork:
   • Pork is often considered a lucky food in various cultures, symbolizing progress and prosperity. Some people include pork dishes, like ham or pork roast, in their New Year’s Day meals.
3. Hoppin’ John:
   • Hoppin’ John is a traditional Southern dish made with black-eyed peas, rice, and pork (such as bacon or ham hock). It is often enjoyed on New Year’s Day for good luck.
4. Cornbread:
   • Cornbread is a popular accompaniment to many Southern meals and is sometimes served on New Year’s Day alongside dishes like black-eyed peas and greens.
5. Lentils:
   • While not as common in the United States, some people of Italian or Mediterranean descent may include lentils in their New Year’s Day meals. Lentils are thought to resemble coins and are associated with good fortune.
6. Cake or Desserts:
   • Some people enjoy starting the new year with a sweet treat. Cakes, pastries, or other desserts may be a part of New Year’s Day celebrations.

Why shouldn’t laundry be hung on New Year’s Eve in Europe?

In addition to food, many superstitions are also associated with laundry. Why is it not recommended to do laundry on New Year’s Day? Because you would have to hang it up after washing it. Hanging laundry on New Year’s is said to cause great misfortune to hit your family, such as the death of a loved one.

Another New Year’s superstition is also related to housework. You should not clean on the first of January, from this point of view it is especially “dangerous” to sweep on New Year’s Day, take out the garbage or possibly throw things away. When sweeping, you could also sweep away luck from your home along with the dust, and with the things taken out, you could also take away something that you might miss in the following year.

What to watch out for during New Year’s visits?

Do you also visit your relatives or friends on New Year’s Day, or do visitors visit your home? In that case, it pays to watch who enters the door first.

If it is a child, a young woman, or a man, it means happiness and love. But if the old woman comes first, she is said to bring bad luck and quarrels with her into the new year.

New Year’s superstitions in the world

In many other countries, the first day of the new year is associated with several more or less strange customs and traditions.

In Spain, there are New Year’s superstitions where grapes are consumed at midnight on the first of January. Whoever eats one ball of grape wine with each stroke of midnight will be lucky for the next twelve months.

Another Spanish custom, which you will also encounter in Italy, is wearing red underwear for good luck. Italians also eat lentils on New Year’s Day, but they eat them right after midnight as a second dinner.

In the countries of South America, it does not pay to walk in the streets under the windows after midnight because many people believe that if they throw a bucket of water out of the window, they will have good luck in the following year.

Also, in Brazil, lentils are consumed immediately after midnight. Besides, people living on the coast go to the beach, where they both bring flowers and have their feet washed by seven successive waves.

In Chile, people flock to cemeteries before midnight to welcome the new year together with their loved ones who have already died. Even in this country, the color of your underwear is essential. The underwear should be yellow, and you should wear it inside out on New Year’s morning; you can only wear it properly after midnight.