30 Most Popular New Year’s Superstitions—and What They Mean
Finally, a decent excuse to avoid cleaning the house!
While the New Year brings the opportunity for a fresh start, we tend to start the celebration with the same traditions, from kissing someone at midnight to singing "Auld Lang Syne" to the best of our ability. Some people take it a step further with some superstitious practices that will close out 2025 in the right way and bring you lots of luck in 2026.
Some of these superstitions are well-known, like eating black-eyed peas on January 1, but others are a bit more obscure, like banging bread against a wall (hey, it's worth a try!). Give this list of New Year's superstitions and their meanings a perusal while you try to stay up late enough to watch the ball drop! And while we may not be in a position to walk backwards into the sea, for example, most of these are doable and, if nothing else, will give you a fun start to the new year.
Looking for more ways to mark the passing of another year? We’ve got plenty of ways to bring the celebration to your New Year’s Eve festivities:
Put on Some Polka Dots
In search of a sartorial selection that will secure an auspicious start to the new year? In the Philippines, it's considered good luck to wear polka dots on December 31.
Drizzle Honey on a Dish
In a belief that dates back to Roman times, honey is said to ensure sweetness for the coming year. Share this good fortune with friends and family by serving a menu that includes at least one dish drenched in the delicious ingredient, such as a scrumptious honey-apple baked brie hors d'oeuvre.
RELATED: 16 Most Lucky New Year's Day Foods
Jump Off a Chair
A traditional New Year's Eve superstition in Denmark is to leap from a sofa or chair as the clock strikes midnight. It's considered good luck if you jump, and bad luck if you don't, so make your decision wisely.
Crack Open a Pomegranate
This pretty red fruit is considered a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Turkey and other countries near the Mediterranean. New Year's Eve revelers smash pomegranates and eat the seeds to bring some of that good luck their way in the upcoming year. Try serving them in our Harvest Salad with Pickled Pomegranate Seeds or in this delicious Poinsettia Cocktail.
Put Mistletoe Under Your Pillow
In this Irish superstition, people hoping to find a romantic partner place a sprig of mistletoe under their pillow before they fall asleep on New Year's Eve. Legend has it that it'll cause you to dream of your future spouse!
RELATED: Why Do We Kiss Under Mistletoe?
Wear Red Underwear
In Latin American countries and Italy, donning red undergarments on New Year's Eve is thought to help bring romance in the year to come.
Pass Around a Peppermint Pig
This unique superstition began in Saratoga Springs, New York in the late 1800s. Tradition holds that a candy peppermint pig is passed around the table in a red pouch, with each person tapping the pig with a small hammer to break off a piece while sharing a story of good fortune they encountered in the past year. It's all in hopes of good luck in the year ahead!
Open the Windows
Though it may be chilly outside, New Year's superstitions tell us to leave the windows open so you can let the old year out and the new one in.
Bang Bread Against The Walls
Another Irish superstition is to knock a loaf of bread around the walls of your family home. (The act is said to drive away evil spirits while simultaneously inviting good luck in.) Kinda sounds like the perfect excuse to finally make a loaf of Irish soda bread, right?
Wake Up Early
As the old adage goes, the early bird gets the worm. And if you're up and at 'em on January 1, Polish tradition suggests that you'll easily rise on the early side every day for the rest of year.
RELATED: I Tried The Viral Hatch Alarm Clock and LOVED It
Make a Dish of Soba Noodles
In Japan, a widespread New Year's tradition is to enjoy a bowl Toshikoshi soba, or New Year's Eve noodles, on December 31. The pantry staple is thought to represent longevity, resilience, and a clean break from hardships of the year prior.
Get the Recipe for Rapini Buckwheat Soba Noodles.
Watch the Sunrise
Also in Japan, the first sunrise of the year has a special name: Hatsuhinode. In the Shinto religion, it is believed that the New Year gods appear at this time and bless observers with good fortune and good health.
Step Backwards into the Sea
In Puerto Rico, some greet the stroke of midnight—and keep evils spirits at bay—with a quick fall backwards into the waves of the ocean. If you'll be beachside for New Year's, it certainly can't hurt to do the same.
Drop Your Ice Cream (On Purpose!)
In Switzerland, it's thought to bring good luck to drop a scoop of ice cream on the ground at the stroke of midnight. It's hard to let the good stuff go to waste, we know, but one scoop won't hurt!
Break a Few Dishes
Another New Year's superstition from Denmark is to smash dishes against the front door of friends and family. The act is believed to bring good luck to the people you appreciate most in your community.
Get a Midnight Kiss
It may seem like kissing someone at midnight is a way to show your excitement for the new year. But actually, it's thought that if you kiss someone you love as the clock strikes midnight, those sentiments will continue for the next 12 months.
Eat 12 Grapes at Midnight
This food superstition that originated in Spain is meant to bring you luck for the year ahead. Just eat 12 grapes at midnight—one for every month—or put them on a skewer and serve as a fun New Year's Eve cocktail garnish.
Keep Some Extra Cash in Your Wallet
Want to enter a year full of financial prosperity? Then make a run to the ATM so you can fill your wallet with cash. Also, don't loan out any money on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, and don't start the year with any unpaid debts, or you could set a precedent for the months aheads.
Fill Up Your Cupboards
Check and see which grocery stores are open on New Year's Eve, because it's considered bad luck to start the new year with bare cupboards (signaling poverty and hardship).
Open Those Doors at Midnight
Actually, just before midnight, so you can let the old year out and welcome the new one. (It doesn't have to be for long—even those who believe in this superstition can get cold!)
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