The idea of a new year just naturally suggests new beginnings. Here are some ideas for making the new year lucky.
Lucky food:
Grapes: Eat 12 grapes at midnight, one for each month of the year (common in Spain and Latin America).
Lentils: Represents prosperity due to their expanding nature when soaked.
Black-eyed peas and collard greens: Southern U.S. tradition symbolizing coins and money respectively.
Pomegranate: Represents fertility and renewal with its abundant seeds.
Fish: Signifies abundance and surplus in Chinese culture.
Clean, refresh, renew
Clean your house or apartment before New Year's Day in order to clear the way for an exciting new year. Don't clean on New Year's Day or you could sweep away the luck.
If you can't clean the whole house, concentrate on the kitchen, the space that represents health and prosperity.
Attract good fortune. Put 27 one-dollar bills in your wallet and 49 coins in your change purse or pocket. Then sprinkle ground ginger on them. Put some on your checkbook too.
Look only to the future. Don't discuss anything that happened in the past. Only talk about hopes and wishes for the future. Place nine small oranges in a bowl on the table to attract sweet things in the new year. Bowls of fruit, nuts and candy are lucky too.
Get rid of the negatives. Open the door at midnight and light firecrackers or bang pots and pans to scare away any destructive influences in your life.
Make the first words positive. The first words said to you after midnight can impact your good fortune. If necessary, tell someone what to say just after midnight. If you lose your temper or use bad language on this day, it can have a negative effect on the coming year.