Ringing in the new year with good company and ample spirits is one of our oldest holiday traditions. Being surrounded by loved ones and bubbly champagne during the first seconds of January 1 sets the stage for a joyous future. (Well, aside from the post-celebratory headaches that some of us will experience in our very near-futures.)

The start of a new year represents hope and promise, and many see it as a way to start over, to leave the worries and sad events of the previous year behind and gain a fresh perspective. People all over the world perform good luck rituals to ensure this optimistic outlook, and most revolve around copious amounts of food—the ultimate symbol of prosperity. Because 2008 was full of hardships for so many of us, it seems even more imperative to make sure that 2009 treats us all a little better. Here’s hoping that keeping these good-luck staples on our tables on New Year’s Day will bring about a successful and plentiful new year.

Greens

Eating green, leafy vegetables is a good idea year-round, but on January 1, it may bring you more than good health. Because the color and shape of certain greens is similar to money, many consume vegetables like kale, chard, and cabbage in the hopes of a wealthier new year. The color green is also often seen in many countries as epitomizing growth and abundance. Southerners in the U.S. prefer collard greens. In Denmark, a popular New Year’s dish is sweetened kale cooked with cinnamon. People in Germany eat their cabbage in sauerkraut form.

Black-Eyed Peas

Any legume serves as a symbol of good luck for the new year, but black-eyed peas are the bean of choice for people in the southern U.S. This tradition’s origins come from the Civil War days. Vicksburg, a town in Virginia, was thought to be devoid of food during the battles until the people there found the peas. The legume has been considered lucky among Southerners ever since. They eat a dish called Hoppin’ John, which is comprised of black-eyed peas simmered with ham hocks, spicy seasonings, bell peppers, and rice. It’s usually served with collard greens and a side of cornbread, which is also representative of good luck, perhaps because of its golden hue.

Pork

Pigs can be symbols of financial success and progress in life for two reasons. First, because they’re rich in fat, so they’re seen as signs of abundance. Secondly, they tend to move forward when scavenging for food, unlike birds and lobsters, both of which are considered unlucky to eat on New Year’s Day. Therefore, the pig is a frequent star at New Year’s feasts. Those in Cuba, Spain, and Hungary roast their pigs and pig’s feet are a popular side dish in Sweden. In Germany, they take sausage form and collards in the U.S. just aren’t the same without some ham hocks thrown in, although eating hog jowls is also believed to ensure good health.

Lentils

Lentils look like tiny coins, and they expand while cooking, so many believe they represent economic prosperity in the new year. People in Germany must really want to cover their luck bases—they eat lentils, sauerkraut, and pork sausages together on New Year’s Day. That’s a good luck triple bonus! Not to be outdone, those in Italy eat sausage with lentils just after the stroke of midnight. Brazilians start their year with lentils and rice or lentil stew.

Noodles

The longer the noodle, the longer the life—so goes the belief in Japan, where they eat soba (buckwheat) noodles in soup during their New Year’s parties to ensure a healthy lifespan. The meal is called toshikoshi, which translates to “year-bridging.” However, breaking the noodles while eating them is bad luck, so if you’re making them for your celebration, be sure to slurp them up instead of biting off smaller pieces.

Fresh Fruit

Here in the U.S., we usually toast the new year with cocktails and party poppers. In countries like Spain, Portugal, Mexico, and Peru, citizens eat twelve grapes when the clock strikes twelve instead (twelve representing the months in the new year). This act is rooted in an overwhelmingly large grape harvest in Spain during the early 1900s—harvesters didn’t want the grapes to rot, so they came up with an enticing reason for citizens to consume them. They came up with the notion that the taste of the grape—sweet or bitter—will predict what lies ahead for each month. Not all popular New Year’s fruits foretell the future, though. Those who celebrate Chinese New Year feast on tangerines and oranges, and the Turkish favor pomegranates as symbols of riches.

Fish

Because of the way their silvery scales resemble jewelry, fish are thought to represent good fortune. In some parts of China and Europe, they’re also eaten to promote fertility. Pickled herring is on the New Year’s Day menu in Poland and boiled cod is traditional in Denmark. The Japanese eat herring roe (fish eggs) and shrimp, Italians consume dried and salted cod (called baccalà) and in some parts of Germany, people not only eat carp on New Year’s, but they also walk around with fish scales in their pockets or wallets for extra good luck.

Circular Desserts

Many people believe that foods shaped like rings or that are round in form embody the year being properly completed. The Dutch and Hungarians eat donuts; households in Italy and Holland serve balls of fried dough sweetened with sugar and honey on New Year’s Eve. Called ollie bollen in Holland, they are stuffed with sweets like raisins and fruit. Dutch folklore tells of nasty beings that would cut people’s stomachs open during the winter, and if the stomachs contained the special pastries, they were immune to the sword. Sometimes the desserts also have surprises, such as coins or small trinkets, baked on the inside that bring good luck to the person who finds them. Mexican and Greek New Year’s traditions both involve ring-shaped cakes with goodies hidden inside.

Since most New Year’s revelries revolve around consuming lots of delicious food and drink, it makes sense to include dishes that are thought to bring good luck, especially when they are as mouth-watering as ollie bollen or hot lentil soup. These tasty good luck charms are definitely finding a way to my table come New Year’s Eve … although I think I may take a chance and leave the hog jowls off the menu. There’s only so much prosperity my stomach can handle.

和志趣相投的伙伴和充足的精神迎来了新年，这是我们最古老的传统之一。在新的一年的第一天，被爱和充满泡沫的香槟酒包围着的人们，高兴的为未来准备着。（那么，除一些让我们为庆祝而烦恼的东西外，我们当中也会体验到在未来需要的是什么）新的一年的开始代表着希望和承诺，并且许多人会把它作为新的开始，把过去的忧伤和担心都留在过往，给自己一个新的起点。

全世界的人都遵循着有好运气的仪式来体现自己乐观的人生观，绝大部分人都会围绕丰富美味的食物旋转，这是繁荣兴旺的最终标志。因为2008年。对于大部分人来说充满艰难的，这似乎就更加需要去肯定在2009年，能带给我们好一点的生活。希望在新的一年上天能继续给我们带来好运和丰足的食物。

绿色蔬菜

吃绿色叶菜类的蔬菜是全年中最好的选择，而在今年1月1日，它可能让你更健康。因为某些绿色的蔬菜的颜色和形状都很有价值，许多消费蔬菜如羽衣甘蓝，菜，白菜，都希望能在新的一年更有价值。绿色的颜色也常常作为许多国家的物质增长和丰富的资源的缩影。美国的南方人喜欢羽衣甘蓝。在丹麦，一个很流行的新年食物就是甜甘蓝菜煮肉桂。而德国人就喜欢吃酸制的大白菜。

黑眼豆豆

任何豆类都作为象征新的一年的好运气，但黑眼豆豆就是美国南部人民的特别的选择。这一传统的起源来自内战。维克斯堡，在弗吉尼亚州的一个小镇，在战争期间它被认为是缺乏食物的地方，直到那里的人民发现豌豆。豆荚一直被南方人视为幸运的食物。他们吃了一碟叫Hoppin 'John的食物，这是由黑眼豆豆，火腿 ，辛辣的调味料，甜椒，和大米一起煮的。通常它都和羽衣甘蓝和玉米一起搭配，这也代表好运气，也许是因为它的金色色调。

猪肉

猪有两个原因让它可象征人生的成功和进步。首先，因为他们有丰富的脂肪，所以他们看起来有饱满的形象。其次，他们往往在消化食物的同时会向前前行，不像鸟类和龙虾，这两个被认为在新的一年是不吉利的食物。因此，猪肉经常成为新的一年的食物幸运星。在古巴，西班牙和匈牙利喜欢烤猪及猪的脚，这也是瑞典的一种广受欢迎的小菜。在德国，他们采取的形式和羽衣香肠和美国不相同的只是有没有放入一些火腿，而吃猪肉在那里也是被认为是可以让身体健康的。

扁豆

扁豆看起来像小硬币，他们扩大了烹饪的层面，所以许多人认为他们能代表新的一年的经济繁荣。德国人很想要掩饰他们运气，他们在新的一年会吃小扁豆，酸菜，猪肉和香肠。这是一个可以增加三倍运气的奖励！它并没有被淹没，在意大利人们在吹着中风的午夜吃香肠夹杂着扁豆的食物。巴西人也在新的一年里开始扁豆和大米或扁豆炖肉好食材！

面条

面经历的时间越长就有多长的生命，毋庸置疑，在日本，在新年里他们吃荞麦（荞麦）汤面，以确保有一个健康的寿命。而吃饭被称为toshikoshi ，它转化为“今年弥合。 ”然而，为了打破吃面条会让他们带来坏运气，因此，如果您要用面来庆祝你的成功，那么一定要完整的把它吃完而不能把它咬断！

新鲜水果

这在美国中,我们通常为新年有鸡尾酒的和党发出砰的响声的人祝酒.在国家，如西班牙，葡萄牙，墨西哥和秘鲁，当钟响了十二下的时候,公民吃十二颗葡萄代表在新年中十二个月（ 12个代表在新的一年）。在西班牙20世纪初这种行为的根源是一个防止大片的葡萄在收获的时候人们不想葡萄腐烂，所以他们想出了一个诱人的办法来让人们食用。他们提出了这一想法是把葡萄的味道是甜或苦来预测今后每个月的运气。并非所有的出名的水果都能预言未来，但在中国庆祝农历新年节日的水果是柑橘和橙子，而土耳其赞成石榴作为象征财富。

鱼

由于它银色的鱼鳞类似于珠宝，鱼被认为是代表好运。在我国一些地区和欧洲，他们也会吃鱼以促进生育能力。腌鲱鱼是波兰人在元旦的菜单和煮鳕鱼是一种传统的丹麦食物。日本吃鲱鱼子（鱼卵）和虾，意大利和德国的一些地方用盐干鳕鱼（称为baccalà ），人们不仅吃鲤鱼过新年，但他们也把鱼鳞装入口袋里或钱包来增加额外的好运气。

圆形甜品

许多人认为，食品的形状像戒指，或者是圆的形式可以体现今年可以顺利结束。荷兰和匈牙利吃甜甜圈;意大利和荷兰的家庭在除夕制作球油条甜糖和蜂蜜。奥利博伦在荷兰，他们是装满糖果如葡萄干和水果。荷兰民俗讲述了在冬天，肮脏的东西会让人的肚子切开，如果肚子里有特别糕点，这可以让他们幸免于剑。有时，甜品也有惊喜，如硬币或小饰物在烤的那部分里面，好运气的人就会发现它们。墨西哥和希腊新年的传统都涉及环形蛋糕的隐藏着好运的东西。

由于大多数新年狂欢都消耗大量的美味食品和饮料，它被赋予意义，包括菜肴被认为是带来好运，尤其是当他们成为令人垂涎三尺的ollie bollen 或热扁豆汤。这些美味的食物在这个除夕夜里让我们在餐桌上找到另一种风味...虽然我想我可能需要一个机会，让菜单上没有猪肉。而这只能是一个很大的胃才能容纳那美味佳肴！