It depends on how strongly you believe in New Years resolutions, Cathy Isom tells you about some of the foods that will bring you good luck and good fortune in the New Year. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Lucky Foods to Ring in the New Year
When it comes to the New Year, everyone has ideas about resolutions, starting over, finding good fortune and of course losing those extra holiday pounds. There’s also the many food traditions surrounding the New Year holiday that people really get into.
Some of the folklore include:
- Eating anything that forms a circle, such as donuts, that will lead to good fortune in the coming year.
- According to a Pennsylvania “Dutch” (German) tradition, eating pork and sauerkraut brings good luck in the New Year.
- In the Southern U.S., it is believed that eating black-eyed peas, ham hocks, and collard greens or cabbage on New Year’s Day will attract a financial windfall.
Eating pickled herring as the first bite of food of the New Year brings good luck to those of Polish descent.
It’s also suggested you should not eat certain things on New Year’s, in order to prevent bad luck, such as lobster and chicken. Since lobsters can move backwards, eating them on New Year’s may cause setbacks. For chickens, the idea is similar as they can scratch backwards.
I’m Cathy Isom…