Happy New Year, and welcome to a fresh start! As we usher in 2026, it’s a time for resolutions, reflections, and, of course, delicious food. But did you know that many New Year’s food traditions around the world are steeped in superstitions and beliefs about attracting wealth and prosperity?

Let’s take a fun, festive tour of some of these unique culinary customs!

The Golden Grapes of Spain: In Spain, the tradition is to eat 12 grapes at midnight—one for each stroke of the clock. Each grape represents a month of the new year, and eating all 12 is believed to bring good luck and prosperity.

The Lucky Legumes of the American South: In the Southern United States, a New Year’s Day meal often includes black-eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread. The black-eyed peas symbolize coins, the collard greens represent paper money, and the golden cornbread stands for gold.

The Long Noodles of Asia: Many Asian cultures, including China, Japan, and Vietnam, celebrate the new year with long, uncut noodles. The length of the noodle symbolizes a long and prosperous life. The longer the noodle, the longer your life and the greater your fortune.

The Round Fruits of the Philippines: In the Philippines, it’s customary to display and eat 12 round fruits at the turn of the year. The round shape symbolizes coins and represents prosperity and good fortune.

The Ring-Shaped Cakes of Greece: Ringed or round-shaped cakes are meant to represent the fullness of life or the circle of luck, and in Greece, a special cake called a vasilopita is served on New Year’s Day with a coin or trinket baked inside. The finder is said to be granted 12 months of prosperity!

We hope you’ve had a delicious start to your New Year with whatever traditions you’ve chosen to celebrate. But don’t leave your finances to luck and tradition. Contact us today to schedule a complimentary review of your finances.

Here’s to a prosperous and delicious 2026!