The New Year is right around the corner. With the new year comes many traditions in hopes the new year will bring good luck and fortune to all who partake. Different cultures have different traditions, but many traditions involve some type of food! Here are a few New Years traditions you may want to try out!
Lentils
Lentils are considered good luck for the New Year in many cultures, particularly in Italy, due to their resemblance to coins. This visual similarity symbolizes wealth and prosperity for the coming year. Additionally, lentils tend to increase in size when cooked, further emphasizing the idea of abundance.
In our family, my mother picked up the tradition from her mother and the matriarch of Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, Romana Caputo. Nonna Romana would make lentil soup to be eaten after the clock strikes midnight as a sign of good luck and prosperity for the New Year.
Many people also eat sausage with their lentils, known as Cotechino con Lenticchie . This is said to symbolize abundance because sausage adds richness and heartiness to this dish. When sausage and lentils are eaten together, it means that the New Year will be even better than the last!
We offer dry lentils for you to make yourself or pick up one of our homemade lentil soups from our prepared foods section!
Grapes
Another way to ring in the New Year is by eating grapes! There are a couple different ways people incorporate grapes as their New Year’s tradition.
One is that at midnight you eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the year. When you eat each grape, you are supposed to make a wish for that month.
Another tradition is almost like a game! This tradition is that people try to eat twelve grapes, one for each chime of the clock, as the clock strikes midnight. The Belief is that each grape represents one of the twelve months of the coming year. Successfully eating all twelve grapes before the last chime is believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the year.
Collard Greens
In the southern parts of the United Sates, many people incorporate collard greens into their New Year’s Day meals. The color green is typically associated with money which is why this specific veggie is used. It is eaten in hopes the next year will bring prosperity and good luck! This is usually eaten with black eyed peas and pork, which like the Italian traditions are supposed to symbolize wealth and abundance!
Champagne
Champagne is synonymous with New Years for so many reasons! That initial pop of the cork is a joyous celebration of a new beginning. Champagne is also typically assosciated with luxrious celebrations. Essentially, champagne has become a cultural symbol of hope, joy, and new beginnings, making it the perfect beverage to usher in the new year
Buona Fortuna e Buon Anno a tutti!
From Our Family To Yours
