Dutch tradition Like many other cultures, the Pennsylvania Dutch believe eating pork on New Year's Day brings good luck because pigs root around with their snouts in a forward motion. After all, we want to move forward, not backward, in the new year.
In the Netherlands, eating fried doughnut-like pastries called oliebollen is said to be lucky.
One of the most interesting New Year's traditions in The Netherlands must be the Nieuwjaarsduik (also known as the Polar Bear Plunge). Every New Year's Day at 12 pm, over 30.000 people around the country collectively dive into the icy cold waters of the North Sea to start the year afresh.
Greens, Black-Eyed Peas, Cornbread, and Ham | Photo by Meredith. You might say you're not superstitious, but why tempt fate? Dig into these traditional lucky foods on New Year's Day to attract abundance and prosperity in the year ahead.
But, in some parts of the country and the world, so are black-eyed peas, lentils, grapes and pickled herring. Hailing from the Low Country of South Carolina to Japanese noodle houses to Pennsylvania Dutch homes, these are seven lucky dishes traditionally eaten around the New Year to bring good fortune.
These fried delicious doughnuts, called Oliebollen, are a specialty during New Years Eve. In the Netherlands we eat these on the last day of December to celebrate New Years Eve.
This cousin to the doughnut, which looks like a golden bauble, is a sought-after treat in The Netherlands and is traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve. Served as a sweet snack between Christmas and New Year's Eve, olie bollen has many variations among Dutch families.
In the Netherlands the 1st of January is traditionally celebrated with a new year's dive ('Nieuwjaarsduik'). No matter how cold it is, at least 25.000 people plunge into the freezing water each January. There are over 60 locations in the Netherlands where you can jump into the sea or a lake.
Haring 'Hollandse Nieuwe'
Haring or 'Hollandse Nieuwe' (Dutch new herring) is probably the most famous Dutch food. If you like fish you should at least try it once.
1. Poffertjes. Probably one of the most famous Dutch dishes, Poffertjes are small pancakes, baked in an iron skillet, and traditionally served with melted butter and dusted with icing sugar. You can enjoy these all year round, but Christmas and New Year are typically the best times to have them.
In some cultures, eating with your hands is quite common. In the Netherlands there are only a few things that you can eat with your hands publicly without it being frowned upon: chips, pizza, bread and meat with a lot of bones, like chicken or spare-ribs.
In Chinese tradition, white is an unlucky color because it symbolizes death, so all white foods are out for the celebration. Tofu, eggs, rice, cauliflower, white cheeses—say goodbye to them for the night. Instead, fill your New Year's table with other colorful foods.
The Twelve Grapes (Sp. las doce uvas de la suerte, "the twelve grapes of luck") is a Spanish tradition that consists of eating a grape with each of the twelve clock bell strikes at midnight of December 31 to welcome the New Year.
Unexpectedly becoming a worldwide phenomenon, stroopwafels are the most popular Dutch dessert adopted by other countries. First made in Gouda, a small town in South Holland, stroopwafels blew up and are now well-known across the world.
It's traditional to eat hearty greens like cabbage or kale to bring prosperity in the New Year. Traditionally, they're paired with dishes like black-eyed peas and cornbread, or alongside pork in the form of sauerkraut.
Many cultures and countries have particular "lucky" foods, and the southern United States is no exception. Greens, pork, and cornbread, as well as black-eyed peas, cowpeas, or beans, are some of the typical symbolic foods served on New Year's Day.
That's right, you probably guessed it—money. This eastern European tradition of eating cabbage on New Year's—either as a dish or as cabbage rolls—is meant to signify luck, particularly on the financial side of things. People who eat cabbage on New Year's believe that it'll help them make more money in the year ahead.
It is believed that eating a round shape dessert or a ring-shaped cake will bring a full circle of luck for that following year. In other traditions, some would even bake a coin into the cake which is believed to bring an extra serving of good luck to the one who finds it!
The Twelve Grapes of Luck -- call it superstition or simply something fun to do, but eating twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve is a Spanish tradition to ensure prosperity in the coming year.