Want a lucky 2026? See these New Year's Eve traditions, superstitions
- - Want a lucky 2026? See these New Year's Eve traditions, superstitions
Julia Gomez, USA TODAYDecember 31, 2025 at 8:03 AM
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New Year's Eve is all about partying and spending quality time with your loved ones. But when the clock strikes 12, some will start shoveling grapes into their mouths while sitting under a table, while others will make sure to wear the right color underwear to make sure their New Year's resolutions come true.
We all want to start 2026 on the right foot. Whether someone wants to travel more or find the love of their life, there are New Year's superstitions that people believe can help give them precisely what they want to accomplish in the new year.
There are also plenty of foods that you can eat to bring good fortune, too!
Whether they sound silly or not is entirely up to you. So sit back and get your suitcase ready for a walk around the block, because here are a few ways people make sure their new year is filled with luck, love, and adventure.
1 / 7See confetti fly in Times Square ahead of New Year's EvePeople look on as the Planet Fitness test air worthiness of confetti is presented during New Year's Eve rehearsals in Times Square, New York, on December 29, 2025.Eat 12 grapes under a table
When it becomes midnight, make sure you're under the dinner table shoveling grapes into your mouth while balancing a glass of champagne (or sparkling grape juice) and trying not to choke so you can bring good luck and ensure your resolutions are accomplished.
The table is unnecessary for some, but according to Parade, some believe adding a table to the equation could help a person find the love of their life.
Eating 12 grapes at midnight to ring in the new year is a Spanish tradition that dates back hundreds of years, according to Vogue. It is practiced across the Caribbean, South America, and other Hispanic and Latine countries, too.
Each grape represents 12 resolutions or wishes for the new year. Whether it be to lose weight, find love, or find a new job, eating the grapes at midnight will help people accomplish that, or so they say.
Walk around the block with an empty suitcase
The Latin American tradition of walking an empty suitcase around the block on New Year's is supposed to draw in adventure and give you more opportunities to new places in the upcoming year, according to the Instagram account @Instant_Witch.
However, some people believe the suitcase should be packed with the things that represent the vacation you want, like sunscreen and pool floaties if your dream vacation is to Miami or Puerto Rico, before going on that walk, according to Amigos International, a program that enables young people to volunteer abroad.
Families across the globe will ring in the new year by eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight.Chores bring in bad luck
People avoid doing laundry or cleaning their homes on Jan. 1st, as it can wash away any good fortune for the upcoming year, according to Chinese superstition.
Another distressing belief is that doing laundry and cleaning will "wash away a loved one," meaning someone you love could die in the new year, reported CBS News.
According to superstition, you'll be sweeping away good luck along with dirt and dust mites, so avoid cleaning until Jan 2nd.
People may think it's a little silly to avoid cleaning and putting away Christmas lights, but there's no harm in taking the day off. It is a holiday after all, and you'll be inviting potential good luck into the new year.
Eat black-eyed peas and lentils
Add even more round foods to your day with these little guys!
Round foods resemble coins and money, Linda Pelaccio, who hosted the culinary radio show “A Taste of the Past,” previously told USA TODAY.
Eat these symbolic foods for a financially prosperous new year. On the contrary: Don’t eat the round foods and you could have a year of bad luck!
If you eat peas with greens and cornbread, that's even more auspicious, what with green being the color of money and cornbread evoking gold.
Black-eyed peas are served with rice in the traditional Southern U.S. dish called “Hoppin’ John” for New Year’s Eve. Or, the peas can be part of a soup. In Italy, lentils are mixed with pork for a lucky dish.
What you should NOT eat on New Years
It's best not to eat lobster on New Year's. Your luck and your wallet will probably thank you.
"It’s not good to eat lobsters because they walk backward," said Pelaccio.
That backwards movement could bring you bad luck and set you back on your goals and resolutions.
Use the color of your underwear to manifest love
The color of the underwear you wear on New Year's can bring you your heart's desires in the new year, according to InStyle.
Looking to get that raise or a better-paying job? Well then, you may want to wear yellow panties. Red panties are said to bring passion and love, while pink panties are said to bring platonic love. Blue brings good health, and green brings freedom, life, and nature.
So maybe a quick trip to Victoria's Secret or Target might be the key to unlocking your New Year's Resolutions.
According to Rockland/Westchester Journal News, a part of the USA TODAY Network, wearing different-colored underwear for your New Year's wishes is common in many countries, including Spain, Latin America, and Italy, where the tradition is said to have originated.
Regardless of what your resolutions or your superstitions are, hopefully, these tips and tricks can put a smile on your face, even if not all your resolutions come true this year. Besides, there's always 2027 to look forward to!
Happy New Year!
Contributing: Carly Mallenbaum; Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Julia is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers scientific studies and trending news. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYE traditions and superstitions to bring in a lucky 2026
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