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The longer the noodle, the longer the life—so goes the belief in Japan, where they eat soba (buckwheat) noodles in soup during their New Year’s parties to ensure . The meal is called toshikoshi, which translates to “year-bridging.” However, breaking the noodles while eating them is bad luck, so if you’re making them for your celebration, be sure to slurp them up instead of biting off smaller pieces.

Fresh FruitHere in the U.S., we usually toast the new year with cocktails and party poppers. In countries like Spain, Portugal, Mexico, and Peru, citizens eat twelve grapes when the clock strikes twelve instead (twelve representing the months in the new year). This act is rooted in an overwhelmingly large grape harvest in Spain during the early 1900s—harvesters didn’t want the grapes to rot, so they came up with an enticing reason for citizens to consume them. They came up with the notion that the taste of the grape—sweet or bitter—will predict what lies ahead for each month. Not all popular New Year’s fruits foretell the future, though. Those who celebrate Chinese New Year feast on tangerines and oranges, and the Turkish favor pomegranates as symbols of riches.