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Banging Bread, Hanging Onions, and Tossing Water {Fortuitous Foods}


Remember when I wrote about hedging our bets with New Year's Eve Traditions from Around the World. These are three traditions that involve food - but not eating them.

Hanging Onions Like the Greeks

In Greece, they hang an onion on the front door on New Year's Eve. Many layered onions, with their ability to sprout new life even after they are removed from the ground, symbolize growth and progress. On New Year's morning, Greek mothers rouse their children by hitting them in the head with the onion. I didn't do that, but I was tempted.


Banging Bread Like the Irish 

In Ireland, New Year's Eve is called Eve Oiche na Coda Moire or 'Night of the Big Portion.' The Irish bang bread against the walls and doors of the house to chase out the bad luck and invite the good into the house.


Tossing Water like the Cubans  

In Cuba, they toss buckets of water out the door to signify renewal. You get bonus points if some one who has done you wrong just happens to walk by at that particular moment.

Stay tuned for more fortuitous foods...

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