Do you think 2023 has been one of the unluckiest years of your life? Have you told your parents to wake you up when 2023 ends? Has wiping off the year 2022 from the calendar been on your mind? If you’re nodding your head in unison, then there can be a respite. How about ushering lady luck in 2024? How? Well, here are 8 foods you can eat on New Year’s eve for a lucky 2023.
1. Cake
Whether it’s a birthday, wedding or anniversary party, any celebration seems incomplete without a cake. So this New Year’s eve, get a lovely cake not only to complete your celebration but to also bring in lots of luck. The Greeks gorge on Vasilopita or a basil pie cake. This is only prepared and eaten on New Year’s eve. Enjoyed on Greek New Year, this bready cake topped with almonds is baked with a coin or trinket. And the person who gets a slice of the cake with the coin is blessed with good luck for the year ahead. If you wish to bake your own cake and eat it too, then here’s a great recipe.
Also Read: 6 Best New Year’s Events Happening In & Around Bangalore To Ring In 2021
2. Noodles
Noodles are a symbolism of longevity thanks to their long shape. And that’s the reason why the Japanese and Chinese devour long noodles on New Year’s Eve. As a custom, people slurp on long noodles without cutting or breaking them. Once you put a noodle in your mouth, it must be consumed as a whole, without breaking it in order to bring in lots of luck happiness and long life in the coming year.
Also Read: 5 Delectable North Indian Sweets That Come From The Mughal Kitchens
3. Lentils
If Dal Chawal wasn’t on the menu for your New Year’s Eve dinner, then maybe you should rethink your dinner plans. Italian households devour lentil meal at midnight along with sausages. Since the lentils are shaped like round coins, it signifies financial prosperity for the year. Similarly, Americans eat black-eyed peas or lobia, which they believe brings prosperity for the coming year. Here’s a history of your favourite Dal Chawal meal, khichdi.
4. Fruits
Celebrate New Year’s Eve in style by devouring fruits. Should we cheekily wish you a Happy Fruity Year? To be more specific, you can start by gorging on grapes. In Spain and Mexico, people eat 12 grapes when the clock strikes midnight, to bring in luck for each month of the year. So just like Gloria in Modern Family, grapes might be your lucky charm for 2021. In Greece, pomegranate seeds symbolise fertility, life and abundance. So munch on pomegranate seeds this New Year’s eve. And if you love fruits in general, then don’t be shy, be like the Filipinos. They celebrate the New Year’s Eve with round fruits like mangoes and watermelons to bring in oodles of luck for the year. Fruits will also boost your mood and reduce stress.
5. Green Vegetables
Don’t be green with envy on the happening New Year parties of your friends. Just eat your greens, and you’d probably bring in lots of luck for 2021. Green vegetables like cabbage, spinach, broccoli, mustard greens are said to represent money. Danish eat kale with cinnamon and sugar. Many Americans celebrate the New Year’s eve with cooked collards. So, the more greens you’ll eat, the more fortune you’d have in the coming year ahead. Apart from luck, you’d add a lot of fibre, vitamins and antioxidants in your body. So it’s a green, green situation.
Also Read: From Sandwich To Pizza, 6 Foods You Should Never Buy At The Airport
6. Fish
Bring in the Fish and Chips, Pomfret Rava Fry and Macher Jhol, because fish symbolises abundance. Since fish swim forward and the scales of fish symbolise silver, it’s considered lucky New Year food. In Germany, some people place fish scales in their wallet for good luck. The Japanese devour fish for prosperity and shrimp for long life. In some countries, the entire fish is served to symbolise the end of one year and beginning of another.
Also Read: Kerala’s Baby Elephant Sreekutty Celebrates First Birthday In Style With Rice & Ragi Cake
7. Grains
Grains like rice, risotto, oats, barley and quinoa symbolise abundance since they swell when cooked. In Indian mythology, rice is used in most religious ceremonies as it’s believed to soak up negativity and bad omens. People in Sweden and Finland devour a rice pudding as a lucky dessert. Many Latin countries savour rice and beans for the New Year. In order to bring in abundant luck for New Year, consume rice when the clock strikes twelve, and say cheers to happiness.
So, folks, these are 8 of the best foods you must consume to celebrate New Year’s Eve in style. Most importantly, wish you a very Happy & Safe New Year 2024!