New Year Superstitions

Fill Your Cupboards

Check and see which grocery stores are open on New Year's Eve, because it's considered bad luck to start the new year with bare cupboards (signaling poverty and hardship).

Kiss at Midnight

It may seem like kissing someone at midnight is a way to show your excitement for the new year. But actually, it's thought that if you kiss someone you love as the clock strikes midnight, those sentiments will continue for the next 12 months.

Don’t Clean The House

We can really get behind this superstition. If you're concerned about "sweeping" or "washing" away any luck coming your way, don't do any cleaning—including dishes and laundry.

Eat Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas

If you want to keep with Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day will supposedly bring good luck and prosperity, respectively, in the months ahead. Whip up our Braised Greens and Black-Eyed Peas Salad and see what happens!

Skip Eating Lobster

You may want to rethink any fancy New Year's Eve food ideas that include lobster. Many cultures believe that eating lobsters before midnight is bad luck because they move backwards, therefore setting you up for a year of setbacks.

Carry an Empty Suitcase

It can just be around your house for a few minutes, but in Colombia, it's seen as setting yourself up for adventures in the new year.

Sources: By Ivy Jacobson Ford/ Country Living