12 Easy Recipes to Celebrate New Year's Eve in Delicious Style! (2024)

FAQs

What food to serve at a new year's Eve party? ›

Kick it off with snacks like Spinach Dip Hot Bread, Gougeres with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Proscuitto, or Green Peppercorn-Marinated Feta. Our Herb-Roasted King Salmon with Pinot Noir Sauce makes an impressive dinner centerpiece, while Orange-Anise Croquembouche with White Chocolate is the sweetest year-end finale.

Pork is considered a sign of prosperity in some cultures because pigs root forward. This is probably the reason many southern New Year's Day dishes contain pork or ham. Cornbread might symbolize gold because corn kernels represent coins.

12 grapes at midnight

It is believed that eating one grape per clock chime will bring the person good luck in the new year, according to NPR.

According to Southern lore, you will have good luck for the entire year if you have the traditional New Year's Day supper. In the South, that means a meal of collard greens, hoppin' John, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and pot likker soup.

There's a wide range of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day food that graces family tables across the African Diaspora, but Hoppin' John or black-eyed peas and rice are high up on the list, especially among Southern African-American families. Black-eyed peas are thought to represent coins or good luck.

Lobster, cows, and chicken are all considered unlucky animals to eat on New Year's because of how they move. Read on for more foods superstitious people try to avoid on the holiday.

In case you haven't heard, it's tradition to eat pork and kraut on New Year's Eve at midnight, which technically means New Year's Day. Among the many traditions surrounding the coming of the New Year, this one is both tasty and easy to complete, unlike some of those tough resolutions.

Often referred to as hoppin' john, black-eyed peas and collard greens are commonly eaten as part of a Southern tradition to bring forth good luck and prosperity in the new year.

What not to do on new year's Day? ›

Don't Clean the House on New Year's Day - You will wash away any good luck coming your way.

Meanwhile, cabbage leaves are thought to bring prosperity to those who eat them on New Year's Day. Long believed to be an antidote to an overzealous night on the town, menudo is part of many holiday celebrations, especially breakfast on New Year's Day.

Like many other cultures, the Pennsylvania Dutch believe eating pork on New Year's Day brings good luck because pigs root around with their snouts in a forward motion. After all, we want to move forward, not backward, in the new year.

Think of gifts that the host can utilize during the party or even after. Think about wine, chocolate, or party games. So, there you have it! Whether you're munching on appetizers or pondering the perfect thank-you gift, remember that thoughtfulness and a touch of creativity always make a difference.

Planning an evening of music, food, and good conversation can make for a simple and fun party. You might try offering board games for your guests to play together. Your party might feature a fun competition.