On New Year's Eve, all kinds of celebrations are held, including a luxurious dinner with champagne and caviar.
However, many of the New Year's Eve traditions are actually more familiar to most of us, centering around simple, delicious foods that are said to bring good luck in the new year.
Here are three New Year's Eve food traditions from around the world that people swear will bring them good luck.
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black eyed peas
In the southern United States, black-eyed peas are a New Year's Eve staple for many Americans.
Bobby Ford, owner of Bobby Q's Just Like Mama's, told FOX News Digital that black-eyed peas are said to “bring hope, prosperity and good fortune in the new year.”
Bobby Q's Jus Like Mama's is a soul food restaurant located on Long Island.
Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve has been a tradition since the Civil War. Peas are “considered a symbol of spiritual abundance.” (Bobby Ford)
“These peas are also a symbol of spiritual abundance and, due to their nutritional value, are also seen as a way to promote health and well-being in the year ahead,” he said.
Native to West Africa, black-eyed peas were brought to the United States by enslaved Africans, Ford said.
According to legend, women hid peas in their hair.
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“This law allows them to grow familiar foods on new land and preserve some of their culture and food,” he said.
In 2025, enjoy food traditions from around the world. (St. Petersburg)
Ford said the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve began during the Civil War.
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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 custom of eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve began in Spain in the 19th century. It has also spread to other Spanish-speaking countries, according to the website Food Republic.
Videos about the habit have gone viral on TikTok in recent years, with one video shared by grocery store chain Kroger in 2023 receiving more than 6 million views.
The custom of eating 12 grapes at midnight began in Spain. (St. Petersburg)
“Did you know that eating 12 grapes in the new year will bring you good luck?” asked the Kroger TikTok.
The TikTok video goes on to say, “When the clock strikes midnight, eat one each time the chime rings. If you can finish eating before the chime ends, you'll have good luck all year round.”
Food Republic noted that different cultures give different meanings to the consumption of grapes.
“My family used to make fun of me for believing it, but look who has that ring now.”
In Peru, eating 12 grapes under the table is said to bring good luck in love in the coming year, the same website states.
In a TikTok released on December 22, 2022, user @helengmorales posted a video of herself eating grapes under the table in the middle of the night, along with a photo of herself and her fiance.
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“My family made fun of me for believing, but look who has the ring now,” she wrote.
Toshikoshi soba
Across Asia, it is common to eat noodles on birthdays and other holidays as a way to express hope for longevity.
In Japan, it is eaten in the form of toshikoshi soba, which is eaten on New Year's Eve.
According to the Japanese website Just One Cookbook, the name means “noodles that span the years.”
Toshikoshi soba, or “year-strapping noodles,” is eaten on New Year's Eve in Japan. (Christian Gooden/After Deployment to St. Louis/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“As in many cultures, the New Year in Japan is about starting with a fresh start, a clean slate,” said website author Namiko Chen.
“That's the essence of Toshikoshi Soba: a warm soba soup that's healthy, easy to make, and full of symbolism.”
The noodles are made from buckwheat flour and are considered a symbol of strength, resilience and good luck.
Toshikoshi soba is “usually served in its simplest form: soba noodles in warm broth with just chopped green onions,” she says. However, many people choose to add additional ingredients for flavor.
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According to Chen, Japanese people have been eating soba on New Year's Eve for nearly seven centuries, but the tradition only really took hold around the 17th century.
The noodles are made from buckwheat flour and are considered a symbol of strength, resilience and good luck.
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“Each cup carries a wish for good fortune, and it's easy to imagine that this custom quickly spread from family to family as they sipped on the symbols on the soba,” she says.
