Most of you reading this know about our traditional Southern New Year's Day meal for good luck-- black eyed peas, greens, cornbread, and some kind of pork. Peas and lentils are round shaped, therefore resemble coins and money. Some people even drop a clean penny in their pot of black eyed peas, and whoever gets it in their serving is extra lucky that year. Green is the color of money, and cornbread represents gold. Pigs have long been considered lucky. They root for food with their snouts walking forwards, so that symbolizes forward momentum in the new year. You should not eat lobster on New Year's Day because they walk backwards.
I am very superstitious about our traditional Southern meal, and eat it every year. Here is my plate from 2019.
It's pretty similar to what a lot of you will be eating. However, if you wanted to change up your pork and greens from traditional southern food, you could do like the Germans do and eat sausage and sauerkrout.
There are also different traditions around the world, like eating 12 grapes at midnight as they do in many Latin American countries. The 12 grapes symbolize the 12 months, and you are supposed to eat them as fast as you can.
In Japan, they eat noodles. Noodles are long, so they are supposed to represent long life and luck.
Pomegranate seeds are eaten in the Middle East. For one, they ripen during this time of year, but also seeds represent life and fertility.
Whether you choose to eat our traditional Southern food, or get lucky with a new tradition this year, I hope you have a healthy and prosperous New Year. Here's to an amazing 2020!
Picture Source: Getty Images