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Hedging Our Bets with New Year's Eve Traditions from Around the World

We always ring in the new year as a family. Jake and I have our date nights all year long. We figure: New Year's Eve should be about forging fun memories with our boys; we should end the year - and start a new one - with our favorite people, right?!

Do you have any New Year's Eve traditions - food or otherwise - meant to bring good luck in the coming year?

I'll be posting about our 2015 to 2016 transition tomorrow. We like to hedge our bets for good luck and do a lot of different things! Over the years, we've embraced several traditions from around the world.


There are many, many different traditions from all around the world but the reasoning behind their lucky foods are oddly similar. Here are some of the overlapping auspiscious attributes: food that’s round (the shape of coins), food that's yellow or orange (the color of gold), food that's green (the color of spring leaves and paper money), fish (symbol of bounty), pork (prosperity and an animal that roots forward), legumes (coin-like seeds that expand like wealth) and cakes (sweetness is richness).


This year, we'll be doing things, and eating things, from Ireland, Italy, the Philippines, Greece, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Cuba, and Russia.

What traditions do you have? 
Maybe I'll work them into our celebration next year. Happy New Year.

Comments

  1. We usually stay in for NYE. Sometimes just Frank and I, sometimes another couple or two. This year is going to be very different for us. I will be here with Mom and Frank is going to go stay the weekend at his sister's to take care of his Mom so that she and her husband can go up north and get a little break.

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