New Year's Traditions

Everything to do on New Year's Eve + New Year's Day even if you're only 5% superstitious (or just a little stitious).

It’s impossible to follow every single New Year’s tradition, but I do attempt to do at least a few each year. Here are the big ones I try to hit.

New Year’s Eve Checklist

1. Make sure there are groceries in your home. The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year.

2. Make sure there is cash in your wallet. This guarantees prosperity in the coming year.

3. If you’re celebrating at home, let the windows and/or doors open at midnight to let the old year out and to let the new year in.

4. Wear polka-dots, even in some small way. Anything round signifies good fortune.

5. If you’re a renter, pay January’s rent today. You don’t want any money going out of your home tomorrow. And settle any debts you owe, if you can afford to.

6. Back up your laptop. This isn’t really associated with luck, but it’s just smart to do this.

7. Wash your hair today, so you don’t have to tomorrow (explained below).

8. Take out the garbage today, so you don’t have to tomorrow (explained below).

9. Wash your bedsheets today.

New Year’s Day Checklist

1. Wear red. This brings luck. And wearing new clothes today (especially socks and underwear) is extremely lucky.

2. Nothing should leave your house so don’t take out the garbage today. If things leave, then that means things will be leaving you all year.

3. Don’t do your laundry or wash your dishes or wash your hair because you’ll wash away luck. And don’t you dare sweep at all.

4. Don’t use scissors today or they will cut off your good fortune.

5. Do not lend any money to anyone today or you’ll be giving away all your money throughout the year. And try not to spend any money as well.

6. Avoid breaking anything today or crying. Again, what you do today sets the tone for your coming year.

7. Anything shaped like a ring is believed to be good luck because it symbolizes “coming full circle” completing a year’s cycle.

8. Sleep in a bed with clean, new sheets.

Lucky Foods To Eat On New Year’s Day

1. Incorporate some black eyed peas into one or all of your meals today. When eaten today, they bring enormous good luck.

2. Lentil soup because lentils resemble coins.

3. Pork because poultry scratches backwards, a cow stands still, but a pig roots forward, ergo those who dine upon pork will be moving forward in the new year.

4. Chicken should not be eaten on the first day of the year or you will have financial difficulties for the rest of the year.

5. Any greens such as collard greens, peas, chard, cabbage, kale, spinach, broccoli, etc. (because the greens resemble money).

6. Eating cornbread is supposed to bring wealth.

7. Eating long noodles signifies living a long life.

For example my menu for January 1st will consist of this Greek black eyed peas salad, honey jalapeno cornbread muffins and this crockpot brown sugar balsamic glazed pork tenderloin, (and I might prep this overnight sausage and mushroom strata on New Year’s Eve so that breakfast the next morning can be a bit special).

Basically whatever you do today will set the tone for your year. So sleeping in all day is obviously not the best idea since you’ll have a lazy year ahead. Some ideas of things to do today for a good year:

• Phone friends of family

• Be friendly and polite, avoid arguments

• Exercising, even in some small way

• Do a small amount of work, but don’t go overboard

I’m aware that superstitious people have a pretty bad reputation, but I like who I am. I’m a firm believer in this kind of stuff (maybe because I have had a great deal of luck in my life) so it’s really your call on what to believe. Happy 2026!