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New Year's Eve is associated with celebrations of all kinds, including fancy dinners featuring champagne and caviar.
Yet many New Year's Eve traditions are actually centered on simple, tasty foods that are said to bring luck for the New Year ahead — and are more accessible to most of us.
Here are three New Year's Eve food traditions from around the world that people swear will bring them luck.
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Black-eyed peas
In the Southern part of the United States, black-eyed peas are a staple of New Year's Eve cuisine for many Americans.
Black-eyed peas are said to "bring in the New Year with hope, prosperity and good fortune," Bobby Ford, owner of Bobby Q's Jus Like Mama's, told Fox News Digital.
Bobby Q's Jus Like Mama's is a soul food restaurant on Long Island.
Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve has been a tradition since the Civil War. The peas are "seen as a symbol of spiritual abundance." (Bobby Ford)
"These peas are also seen as a symbol of spiritual abundance — and with their nutritional value, as a way to promote health and well-being for the year ahead," he said.
Black-eyed peas, native to West Africa, were brought to the United States by enslaved Africans, said Ford.
Legend has it that women hid the peas in their hair.
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"This act ensured they could grow familiar food in a new land, preserving a piece of their culture and sustenance," he said.
Ring in 2025 with one of these food traditions from around the world. (iStock)
The tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve began during the Civil War, said Ford.
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"Over time, it became a New Year's custom, symbolizing hope and the promise of future prosperity," he said.
12 grapes
The tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve began in Spain in the 19th century. It spread throughout other Spanish-speaking countries, says the website Food Republic.
In recent years, videos about the custom have gone viral on TikTok, with a video that was shared in 2023 by Kroger, the grocery store chain, receiving over 6 million views.
The tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight began in Spain. (iStock)
"Did you know eating 12 grapes on the New Year brings you good luck?" asked Kroger's TikTok.
The TikTok video went on to note that "as the clock strikes midnight, you eat them one at a time with each chime. If you can finish them before the chime ends, you will have good luck throughout the year."
Some cultures attach different meanings to consuming the grapes, noted Food Republic.
"My family made fun of me for believing, but look who has the ring now."
In Peru, a person who eats 12 grapes under a table is said to be lucky in love for the coming year, said the same website.
In a TikTok published on Dec. 22, 2022, user @helengmorales posted a video of herself eating grapes under a table at midnight, followed by pictures of her with her fiancé.
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"My family made fun of me for believing, but look who has the ring now," she wrote.
Toshikoshi soba
Throughout Asia, it is common to eat noodles on birthdays and other holidays as a way to signify hope for a long life.
In Japan, this comes in the form of the dish Toshikoshi soba, which is eaten on New Year's Eve.
The name translates to "year-crossing noodle," said Just One Cookbook, a Japanese website.
Toshikoshi soba, or "year-crossing noodle," is eaten in Japan on New Year's Eve. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
As in "many cultures, New Year in Japan is about beginning with a fresh, clean slate," said Namiko Chen, the website's author.
"That’s the essence of toshikoshi soba — a hot buckwheat noodle soup that is healthy and easy to make, and full of symbolism."
The noodles are made out of buckwheat, considered a symbol of strength, resilience and fortune.
Toshikoshi soba "is usually served in its simplest form — buckwheat soba noodles in a hot dashi broth garnished with only finely chopped scallions," she said. Many people, however, choose to add additional ingredients for taste.
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Japanese people have been eating soba noodles on New Year's Eve for nearly seven centuries, said Chen, while the tradition really took hold around the 17th century.
The noodles are made out of buckwheat, considered a symbol of strength, resilience and fortune.
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"With the hope of good fortune in each bowl, it’s easy to imagine the custom being adopted quickly from family to family, slurping in the symbolism of soba noodles," she said.
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