New Year Good Luck Traditions

I saw a post on Facebook that mentioned it is an Irish tradition to leave your door open on midnight of New Year’s Eve to let out the old year and let in the new year! It continued with a joke about how this year we should open every door, window, and even the garage door! Thanks 2020! I think we can ALL agree that 2020 has been a terrible year for everyone in one way or another! I figured while we were at it, let’s look up more superstitions and traditions that bring good luck! We could use it!!

Here is a list of things we can try:

Make LOTS of noise!! You may love buying noisemakers and fireworks to set off at midnight, but did you know the tradition originated from a superstition that making loud noise at midnight would scare evil spirits and omens away?
Live near the beach? Jump 7 waves! In Brazil, if you head to the beach, you can increase your luck by heading to the water and jumping over seven waves. You get one wish for each wave.
Don’t Cry! Save your tears for another day, because crying on New Year’s Day could set a year of sadness in motion.
Knock on Wood! It is believed that spirits live in wood and by knocking you are Calling the good to protect you and Chasing away the bad!
Throw salt over your shoulder! There is belief that salt keeps the bad away, by throwing it over your shoulder you are blinding the evil behind you! Yes, I’m even going to our basics for Luck! lol
Sprinkle Sugar outside! Puerto Ricans sprinkle sugar outside their houses to invite the good luck in!
Clean your house! Or DON’T! Legend in China and Latin America say that the act of cleaning literally sweeps negativity away from your family and fiends! When you sweep, sweep towards the back of your house and take the dirt out the back door! That you way you don’t sweep the luck out! Another article I found says that it’s a Chinese superstition to avoid doing laundry, dishes, taking the trash out, etc. It’s thought that you could be throwing out or washing away your luck on New Year’s Day. They say not to let anything out of your house on the 1st! You could let any luck out! So it looks like you should clean New Year’s Eve but don’t clean anything New Year’s Day?? Wait until Jan. 2nd to take the trash out!
Cross your fingers! When making a wish for the new year! It is thought that making a cross concentrates the forces of good spirits and seals a wish!
Stock up your cabinets! Go grocery shopping and stock up on food because empty shelves can be a bad sign. It can signal a year of scarcity!

Foods that affect our Luck:

Eat 12 Grapes at Midnight: This one I can get behind! I hate black eyed peas! lol 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! But you have to finish them before the clock stops chiming!
DON’T eat Chicken: It is a superstitious food to eat on New Year’s Eve. Because chickens have wings, all your luck could fly away!
DON’T eat Lobster: Many cultures believe that eating lobsters before midnight is bad luck because they move backwards, therefore setting you up for a year of setbacks. Don’t eat Turkey either, they scratch backwards!
Eat black-eyed peas, pork and rice on January 1st and you will experience luck and peace for the rest of the year. You could even try adding collard greens, which can resemble paper money, and ‘golden’ cornbread! The peas themselves represent coins.
Try eating a Fish Dish! Fish is considered another good New Year’s entrée, since fish only swim in one direction — forward, like the movement of time.

Here are things to try if you are looking for something certain to come out of 2021:

Looking for Adventures? -> Carry an empty suitcase! It can just be around your house for a few minutes, but in Colombia, it’s seen as setting yourself up for adventures in the new year.
Want to enter a year full of financial prosperity? -> Put Cash in your Wallet! Make a run to the ATM so you can fill your wallet with cash.
Keep your Love strong! -> Kiss at Midnight! 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!
Looking for love? Sleep with Mistletoe! All the single ones, place some mistletoe under your pillow. It’s said that in Ireland if an unmarried woman places mistletoe under her pillow before bed she will be blessed with good fortune and love in the new year.

Pick your Colors Carefully:

In Brazil as well as other South and Central Merican countries, many feel that the color of underwear you wear can affect your luck in the new year. Wearing yellow underwear attracts positive energy and a year of prosperity for the new year, while red or pink underwear will bring a year of romance and passion. Blue underwear is said to bring a year of harmony & health, Green, a year of better luck than the previous year, White for a year of peace, joy, and happiness, Orange for professional success & Purple underwear for inspiration. In Italy, they believe Red underwear will bring you luck as well as make you fertile. If you happen to have polka dots or circles on your underwear, even better as the round shape symbolizes coins/money.
Much like underwear, certain colors of candles, or the outfit you wear on New Year’s are supposed to symbolize good luck. Yellow will help with financial troubles, green will bring good health, orange is for wisdom, purple for professional success, red is for love, and blue candles for peace. In Brazil, they believe that dressing in all white will attract good luck and bring you peace in the new year. The white outfit must be new.

So do we want to split up the list and try everything? Should we try more than one thing or do they cancel each other out? If you do too many, will it jinx it? I need to know these answers so we get this right!!!

What traditions do you have on New Year’s Eve to bring in Good Luck for the next year?!

They say your first encounter of the New Year can determine how you’ll spend the next 365 days! Here’s to 2021! Don’t forget to open your doors right before Midnight!