30 Best New Year's Superstitions and Traditions to Bring Good Luck in 2025

Breaking pomegranates on the floor on New Year's Eve is thought to bring good luck in Greece. Each family member takes turns hitting the fruit with a spoon and then smashing them into 13 rounds, which is tied to the 12 months of the year—plus an additional round for prosperity!

Want to banish bad spirits and bring good luck? Take a cue from Denmark where it's believed you can do so by jumping off a chair at midnight. Talk about leaping into the new year!

In Scotland, the first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight is called the "first-footer" and is believed to bring good fortune for the year to come. It's considered especially lucky if the first-footer is a tall, dark-haired man.

In different parts of the world, breaking glass or dishes during New Year's is believed to ward off evil spirits and negativity, while also symbolizing a fresh start for the new year. This is especially true for those in Denmark who will go to their loved ones' houses and throw glasses at their external walls. The more broken dishes you have outside your home on the morning of New Year's Day, the better your luck will be.

Here's another idea straight from Scotland! Eating this traditional Scottish dish made from minced sheep's pluck is believed to bring a heap of good luck in the new year. It is often associated with the celebration of Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year's Eve.

If you're not an early riser, this could be the year that you make the change! According to Polish tradition, waking up early on New Year's Day means you'll easily wake up early for the rest of the year. So set that alarm and prepare to become an early bird.

We're all familiar with the Christmas tradition of kissing under the mistletoe, but there's another romantic notion about this plant that you should know for New Year's Eve. The Irish believe that if you put a sprig of mistletoe (or holly or ivy) under your pillow on the holiday, you'll dream of your future love.

Did you know that chicken is a superstitious food to eat on New Year's Eve? This is because chickens have wings, so some people believe that eating them will cause all of your luck to fly away in the new year! So, you might want to skip the bird this time around.

Depending on where you're located, you'll have to bundle up for this one! Brazilians believe that you'll have good luck for the whole year if you jump over seven waves on New Year's Eve. You get one wish per wave, so start making your 2025 wish list.

Families in Ireland believe that banging loaves of Christmas bread against the walls and doors will ward off evil spirits and pave the way for a healthy and prosperous new year. So, you definitely knead to try this one!

Having wealth in 2025 could be as easy as popping on this fun print for your New Year’s Eve outfits. At least, that's according to a Philippines tradition. Since the pattern resembles the shape of a coin, wearing it is said to bring prosperity for the months to come.

In Italy, it's quite literally out with the old and in with the new! At midnight, some will throw old items like dishes, clothes, and even furniture out the window to symbolize letting go of the past and making room for all the good fortune the new year will bring.

This one might be easier said than done, but hold in those tears on January 1! Across cultures, crying is said to set a negative tone for the new year. Instead, have fun and think happy thoughts with the use of New Year's Eve games and funny New Year's jokes.

Now this is a superstition we could definitely get behind! Many cultures believe that eating ring-shaped foods like donuts, bagels, and cakes will bring good fortune full-circle. In Greece, a special sweet bread called vasilopita is served at midnight. A coin is placed inside the batter and whoever finds it in their slice will have extra luck!

Get New Year's Eve dessert recipes.

Start the new year off right when you well, step into it with your right foot. In Argentina, stepping forward with your right foot right at midnight is said to bring good luck for the year. This tradition is also honored in various ways across several other cultures, too.

Ree makes Hoppin' Johns every year—and she's not alone. The dish, which has roots in African and West Indian traditions, has been a New Year's fixture in the Southern United States since the 1800s, with black-eyed peas representing coins and collard greens standing in for cash. Ree's version includes black-eyed peas, bell peppers, and torn-up kale.

Get Ree's recipe.

Noisemakers aren't just fun. 😉 A superstition has it that making lots of noise will ward away evil spirits. So break out the noisemakers and turn up the New Year's Eve playlist!

Old folklore has it that smooching your loved one at the stroke of midnight will bring luck for the year to come: Historians have traced our New Year's Eve kisses back to multiple festivities, including the Romans' celebration of Saturn and a Viking festival called Hogmanay. Get your puckers ready with the best lip balms!

Chances are you're already drinking your fair share of grapes come midnight. But in Spain, revelers also eat 12 grapes for each stroke of the clock.

Tidy up, and not just because you're expecting company for New Year's Eve. In China and Latin America, legend has it that cleaning your house will literally sweep away negativity from your life.