Our 15 Favorite New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Superstitions

There are three types of people: those who are superstitious, those who are not, and those who do not consider themselves superstitious but still take precautions, just in case, because you never know… We have collected our favorite New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day superstitions so you know what to watch out for tomorrow and on Sunday!

1. Be sure to take the rubbish out of the house today, on the 30th, because if you do it on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, you will throw out your luck along with everything else. The same applies to cleaning, so try to tidy up the house beforehand.

2. You can lose your luck not only by taking out the rubbish, but also by doing something as seemingly innocent as laundry. If you wash clothes on New Year’s Eve or the following day, unfortunately you can expect a truly unlucky year.

3. As you know from point 2, you do not need to do laundry, and without doing laundry you probably would not hang anything out to dry either, but it is worth knowing that the latter is even more dangerous than the laundry itself. If you hang anything out to dry on these two days, it symbolizes someone being laid out—in other words, death—in the coming year. Better not to risk it.

4. As we wrote above, do not do laundry, do not clean, and do not take out the rubbish—but keep things tidy! If you welcome the New Year in a messy home, it will affect your financial situation and your family relationships (and not necessarily in a positive way!).

5. Every good thing will leave your home next year if you lend or borrow anything and do not ask for it back or return it by January 1 at the latest.

6. Fortunately, most shops are closed on these two days—which is lucky for you because it means you can avoid spending a lot of money. (Of course, you can order online, but it would be better if you could do without that for these few days…) If you spend disproportionately large amounts, the coming year will also bring a series of major expenses. It is better to have the house full of delicious food, as a well-stocked pantry symbolizes abundance.

7. Be careful with New Year’s Eve delicacies, too! Fish swims away with your luck, chicken scratches it away, and turkey only brings irritation, so it is better to leave these for January 2. Eat pork instead—it will root out all the good things! (If you absolutely must eat fish, start at the tail so it cannot swim away with your luck.)

8. For dessert, it is better to have strudel at this time of year. According to superstition, the long, stretched-out pastry with its generous filling can bring plenty of happiness. And if all you have to do is eat one extra piece of your favorite dessert, it really is not worth taking the risk…

9. On January 1, make lentils the first food you eat. If you want to be absolutely sure, have some just after midnight—or even put some in your pocket (uncooked and dry!!)—so you are guaranteed to have plenty of money coming into the household in the New Year. At least, we hope so.

10. In the middle of a big New Year’s Eve party, not everyone may be able to pay attention to this at midnight, but it is worth knowing that you are better off if a man is the first person to wish you a happy New Year, rather than a woman. Keep this in mind the next day too: if possible, when a visitor arrives, let the man enter first.

11. Take care of yourself and your family, and make sure you do not have to visit or call a doctor! That would mean that the entire New Year would be spent dealing with illness. On the first morning of January, wash yourself with fresh, cold water to ensure that your year is healthy.

12. Do you have your own business? Or would you finally like to start one? Eat fruit on January 1 so it will be successful (in other words, fruitful)!

13. Even if you make a resolution at midnight, make sure it is something you can and genuinely want to keep. There is no point, inspired by all the champagne, in coming up with resolutions that you will not even remember fifteen minutes later because you never really meant them.

14. Open the door at midnight, let the past year out, and welcome in the new one. Along with the year, let go of the feelings and fears you feel you no longer need and without which your New Year will be happier.

15. Perhaps our absolute favorite: have a wonderful time on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day too! According to popular belief, the way the coming year begins and ends is how the whole year will go. Be with people you love, raise a glass of champagne (which is also a symbol of wealth and glamour), and sincerely wish those around you a very happy New Year with love. Exactly as we wish you, too!