For Good Luck, Celebrate the New Year With...

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Grapes

... grapes? If you're Spanish, yes! Here are some other food traditions to get the new year off to a good start.

For Long Life:
  • Shrimp because the curved back resembles the stature of an elderly person - Japan
To Bring Money:
  • Black-eyed peas (resembling coins) and collard greens (cash) - American South
  • Lentils (coins) - Italy
  • Steamed dumplings (resemble gold nuggets) - Northern Chinese
  • Pork (for prosperity) - France
For Good Luck:
  • Eat one grate at each stroke of midnight for every month of the new year - Spain
  • Figs, dates, and honey - ancient Romans
  • Lasagne - Sicilians
  • Vasilopita (a cake with lots of nuts and a coin baked inside) - Greece
To Fulfill Wishes:
  • Herring (make a wish as you swallow) - Denmark (boiled), Poland (pickled), Japanese (roe)
For Good Health:
  • Pancakes - France
For Love:
  • An orange - Italy
Source: Chow magazine
What will we do? We'll stick with that old favorite, champagne, on New Year's Eve and a family chosen favorite for New Year's Day. We're sadly untraditional that way.

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