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Celebrate the New Year with traditions, festivities, and customs that bring people together worldwide. It’s a time for new beginnings, new resolutions & a time to look forward to the year ahead. Everyone hopes that the New Year will bring good luck, good health & of course, financial prosperity. Food plays a big part in every culture and especially on New Year’s Day. Every culture has a different way of celebrating the incoming new year!
As I am half Korean, I remember the traditions my family celebrated each year. I still try to continue those Korean traditions with my family, even though my extended family lives far away. The first thing we do is call each other at midnight. It doesn’t matter that it’s midnight; you have to make the call! I think that calling at midnight is a multicultural practice, though. We all want to talk to our loved ones for the New Year.
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Korean Culture
In Korean culture, New Year’s lasts 3 days. The day before, the day of, and the day after. It is one of the most significant traditional Korean holidays. We eat soup and feast on a lot of food over those 3 days. Food is so significant in Korean culture because Korea has experienced many “lean” times. Food is considered their currency. The 3 main dishes for a lucky New Year are “Tteokguk“, which is soup (similar to egg drop soup) with sliced rice cakes.
Then there is Jeon (also called Bucnimgae), a Korean pancake, and last but not least is Miyuk Guk, seaweed soup. This soup is served not only on New Year’s but for each family member’s birthday. It is thought to have healing properties, as seaweed helps to cleanse the blood of impurities. One caution, though: do not eat this soup before a big exam, as it is thought to bring bad luck because Koreans believe the seaweed’s slippery nature will make knowledge slip right out of your head!
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Other Cultures
In other cultures, many foods are New Year’s staples. In Spain, they consume 12 grapes at midnight. The goal is to swallow all 12 grapes before the last stroke of midnight. Peruvians, however, insist on taking in a 13th grape for good measure. Legumes (beans, peas, & lentils) symbolize money. Their appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked, so people eat them with financial rewards in mind.
In Italy, it is customary to eat “cotechino con lenticchie” (sausages & green lentils) just after midnight. Germans also pair legumes & pork (pork is considered lucky!), usually lentil or split pea soup with sausage. Brazilian’s first meal of the New Year also consists of lentil soup or lentils and rice, while in Japan the “osechi-ryori,” a group of symbolic dishes eaten during the first 3 days of the new year, includes sweet black beans called “kuro-mame”.
Danish New Year’s cod with beetroot, potatoes and mustard sauce. Photograph- Romas Foord for Observer Food Monthly Romas Foord/Observer Food Monthly
Roasted suckling pig is served in Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary & Austria. It is also consumed in Italy & the USA, where, thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth & prosperity. Fish is yet another popular fast food for the New Year’s table. Long before refrigeration, cod could be preserved and transported, allowing it to reach the Mediterranean and even as far as North Africa and the Caribbean. The Catholic Church’s policy against red meat on religious holidays helped make cod, along with other fish, commonplace for feasts.
The Danish eat boiled cod, while in other parts of Europe, they enjoy dried salt cod. In Poland and Germany, people eat herring at midnight. Germans also enjoy carp and have been known to put a few fish scales in their wallets for good luck. The Swedes have a smorgasbord of fish dishes such as seafood salad, and in Japan, people eat herring roe for fertility, shrimp for long life & dried sardines for a good harvest.
Cakes are also very commonly served from Christmas to New Year’s around the world, with an emphasis placed on ring- or round-shaped items. In certain cultures, it’s customary to hide a special trinket or coin inside the cake; the recipient will be lucky in the new year. Not all cakes are round, though. In Scotland, a tradition called “first footing” has the first person to enter a home after the new year determine what kind of year the residents will have. They generally bring some kind of baked good.
Not So Lucky
With all these “lucky food items” mentioned above, a few are best to avoid. Lobster is unlucky because it moves backward and could lead to setbacks. Chicken is also discouraged (I know, this one surprised me too!). The theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.
Whatever culture you follow, remember: New Year’s brings a fresh start, and no matter what you eat that day, your state of mind will make or break your new year! Are you looking to become a bit more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods? Universal Yums is a monthly snack subscription box featuring a different country each month!
Written by Jackie Palmer
Korean traditions are so cool. Its always fun to know about various cultures and their traditions.
I have my resolution for the New Year set for travel and this post shows the different cultures and how they have different traditions. I’m inspired by this post and would love to travel to the different places on this post.
Wow! This is so interesting! From swallowing 12 grapes to eating “lucky foods”, it is so interesting how other cultures perceive New Years.
I love to know about different people cultures and how they celebrate their festivals. Its fun with delicious food and lights. Thanks for sharing all fun facts.
Thanks for all the fun facts. I love any Holiday that consist of eating for 3 days!
These are some interesting ways to celebrate the New Year. Some of them I was familiar with but did not know about that lobster and chicken were not so lucky!