New Years superstitions are alive and well in 2025, shaping how millions of Americans and global communities mark the transition from one year to the next. Whether it’s eating particular foods for prosperity, performing symbolic gestures at midnight, or observing cultural customs passed down through generations, these practices remain widely talked about and shared across social media, family gatherings, and community celebrations. As the United States welcomes 2026, these superstitions offer insight into how people blend tradition, hope, and intention at the start of a new year.
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What Are New Years Superstitions?
New Years superstitions are symbolic beliefs and rituals tied to bringing good luck, prosperity, health, love, and protection in the year ahead. Rooted in cultural histories from around the world, these practices have been adopted, adapted, and celebrated in various U.S. communities.
Superstitions aren’t merely folklore; they serve as a way for people to express optimism, reinforce community bonds, and find comfort in tradition during a moment that literally marks a fresh start.
1. Food Traditions Believed to Bring Good Luck
Food is perhaps the most universal aspect of New Years superstitions — and in the United States, what we eat on December 31 and January 1 is often believed to influence the year ahead.
Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
One of the most enduring U.S. beliefs involves eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Especially in the South, dishes like Hoppin’ John — made with black-eyed peas, rice, and often pork — are thought to bring financial good fortune. In this symbolism, the peas represent coins and the dark collard greens resemble paper money. Cornbread often accompanies the meal, representing gold and wealth.
This tradition blends influences from West African foodways, European symbolism, and American Southern culture and continues to be one of the most prominent New Years superstitions in the U.S. today.
12 Grapes at Midnight
This belief, which originated in Spain and is popular in Latin American communities, involves eating twelve grapes — one for each stroke of midnight. Each grape is said to represent good luck for a month of the upcoming year. Many U.S. families of Hispanic heritage continue this tradition, especially in multicultural celebrations on New Year’s Eve.
Round Foods and Prosperity
Foods shaped like coins or circles (such as round citrus fruits, doughnuts, and ring-shaped breads) are believed to symbolize prosperity and completeness. In the Philippines and some Latin American traditions, eating 12 round fruits or polka-dotted foods is thought to attract wealth.
Avoiding Certain Foods
Some superstitions advise avoiding foods associated with backward movement — like lobster or crab — because they might symbolically hold back progress. Others caution against eating chicken, believed in some traditions to make good luck “fly away.”
2. Symbolic Actions at Midnight
The transition from one year to the next — especially the moment the clock strikes midnight — is central to many New Years superstitions.
Kiss at Midnight
A midnight kiss is one of the most widely recognized superstitions in the United States. Rooted in European cultural traditions, the belief is that a kiss at the exact moment the year changes will ensure love, harmony, or strong relationships in the coming year. Many couples, families, and friends embrace this act as a meaningful way to share connection and good intention as the new year begins.
Make Noise to Welcome Luck
Across many cultures, making loud sounds at midnight — from fireworks and party horns to cheering and banging pots — is meant to drive away negative energies and invite positive force into the new year. This practice has ancient roots in various folk traditions and remains a common feature of New Year’s Eve events nationwide.
Open Doors or Windows
Some families open doors or windows right at midnight with the belief that this lets the old year and bad spirits exit, while welcoming fresh beginnings and positive energy. This gesture creates a symbolic space for renewal.
Walk With an Empty Suitcase
In a superstitious ritual that originated in parts of Latin America, walking with an empty suitcase around the block after midnight is believed to bring travel opportunities and adventure in the coming year.
Jumping Rituals
From Denmark to Brazil, many cultures have energetic traditions at midnight. In Denmark, people jump off chairs or sofas at the stroke of midnight as a symbolic leap into the new year. In Brazil, some believe jumping over seven ocean waves brings good fortune — with one wish for each wave.
3. Clothing and Color Superstitions
What you wear into the new year is another widely observed element of New Years superstitions.
Red for Love and Passion
Wearing red — especially red underwear — on New Year’s Eve is thought to attract love and good energy. This custom has roots in Latin American and European traditions, where red’s vibrant association with passion and vitality makes it popular for those seeking relationships or emotional fulfillment.
Yellow or Gold for Wealth
Yellow or gold clothing is believed to symbolize wealth and success. People hoping for financial growth often incorporate these colors into their New Year’s Eve ensembles.
White for Peace
In some cultures, especially in Brazil and parts of the Caribbean, wearing white symbolizes peace, purity, and spiritual protection. Participants in these traditions often wear all white when celebrating at the beach or in organized cultural events.
4. Money-Related New Years Superstitions
Money is a common theme in many superstitions tied to the New Year, reflecting a universal desire for financial security and abundance.
Cash in Your Wallet
Many people deliberately place money — often cash — in their wallet or purse before midnight. The belief is that having money in hand when the new year starts attracts financial stability, continued income, and prosperity throughout the year.
Avoid Empty Pockets
Similarly, having empty pockets at midnight is seen as symbolic of future financial struggles. To avoid this, some people make sure they have coins or bills in their pockets as part of their New Year’s Eve preparations.
5. Home and Household Practices
The way a household is treated around the new year is also wrapped in belief.
Avoid Chores on New Year’s Day
A common superstition advises against cleaning, doing laundry, or taking out trash on January 1. The belief is that performing household chores could “wash away” or sweep away good luck before it has a chance to settle in for the year ahead. This caution is observed in many U.S. households, especially those with ties to older cultural traditions.
Stocked Cabinets and Full Pantries
Starting the new year with full cabinets and pantries is believed to attract abundance and prevent scarcity in the months ahead. Many families make a conscious effort to ensure their kitchens are well stocked before festivities begin.
First Foot into the House
In some traditions, the first person to enter a home after midnight — called the “first-footer” — is thought to influence the household’s luck. A tall, dark-haired man has traditionally been considered especially auspicious in some cultures, though modern interpretations focus more on positivity and good intention from the first visitor.
6. Superstitions Focused on Avoiding Bad Luck
Just as people perform actions to bring good fortune, there are behaviors believed to invite misfortune that many choose to avoid.
Avoid Sweeping or Cleaning
Doing chores like sweeping floors or cleaning on New Year’s Day is considered by some to sweep away good luck. This belief appears in both U.S. and international cultural contexts, with the idea that the very act of cleaning could symbolically remove the positive energy you want to welcome into your life.
Don’t Cry on New Year’s Day
Some traditions suggest that crying on January 1 could set a negative emotional tone for the year. This belief encourages celebrations filled with joy and laughter instead of sadness.
Avoid Negative Words or Actions
Across cultures, speaking negative words, dwelling on bad luck, or focusing on pessimism is thought to set an undesirable tone for the new year. Many people consciously focus on positive, uplifting language and intentions as midnight approaches.
7. Global Traditions Now Shaping U.S. Celebrations
New Years superstitions in the United States are increasingly influenced by global traditions as cultural exchange grows.
Breaking Pomegranates
In Greece, smashing a pomegranate at midnight — breaking it into thirteen pieces — is believed to usher in good luck. This symbol of abundance has been embraced by some U.S. families seeking new ways to celebrate.
Smashing Dishes and Lucky Shards
In Denmark, smashing dishes at friends’ or neighbors’ doors is believed to bring good luck and strengthen friendships. While not widespread in the U.S., this spirited tradition reflects a global pattern of symbolic “breaking” to invite fortune.
Polka Dots for Prosperity
In the Philippines, people often wear polka-dot patterns to represent coins and financial prosperity. This trend has caught on in some U.S. communities and social media challenges leading up to New Year’s Eve.
Fireworks and Noisemakers
Though primarily seen as festive entertainment, fireworks and loud noisemakers carry a long-standing belief that noise can ward off evil spirits and invite good fortune for the year ahead. This belief resonates across many cultures and is a staple at celebrations from large city events to backyard gatherings.
Cultural Significance and Modern Adaptations
The persistence of New Years superstitions reflects more than a desire for luck — it speaks to a universal human impulse to make meaning at a moment of transition.
Blending Tradition With Intention
Today, many people incorporate superstitions into broader practices of intention setting, goal-writing, or gratitude rituals. This mix of old and new ways of marking the new year allows traditions to evolve with contemporary meaning.
Family and Community Bonds
Superstitions often act as a shared language within families and communities. Whether it’s preparing a traditional meal, counting down midnight grapes, or wearing specific colors, these practices create shared memories and reinforce generational connections.
Social Media Amplification
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have helped spread awareness of superstitions from around the world, encouraging people to adopt, remix, or celebrate new rituals alongside long-standing ones in their own homes.
Conclusion
From foods believed to attract prosperity and symbolic midnight actions to clothing choices and home practices, New Years superstitions continue to shape how people celebrate the transition from one year to the next. As of 2025, these traditions have persisted, evolved, and spread — weaving together cultural heritage, personal intention, and community celebration into an enduring tapestry of hope and renewal.
What superstition will you carry into 2026? Share your tradition in the comments below!
