New Year's Around the World: A Look at International Food Traditions
- Piece of Cake Staff
- Jan 5
- 4 min read
Written by Brendan Gieseke
Across the globe, New Year's and New Year's Eve mark a remarkable time of the year: hours turn into minutes into seconds that change the calendar page to a long-awaited new year. Shedding away the memories from 2025, the way every person or culture in the world celebrates the awakening of 2026 is different. While some people may have family-specific traditions, many countries and groups have specific traditions that have been carried on from generation to generation. With this article, check out the different types of foods and traditions that happen around the world! Please note, though, that the following examples only represent a fraction of the many existing traditions.
Japan:
As a Japanese person, I can confirm that Japan takes New Year’s very seriously. Called Oshougatsu, there are many gustatory routines that are established for the New Year’s season, each food item holding a specific role. Firstly, our eve, ‘omikosa,’ starts with toshikoshi soba. This soba noodle dish is somewhat different from regular year-round soba. The soba noodles are usually longer to represent a long, unending life, while the ease of cutting the noodles symbolizes the act of cutting away the hardships from the previous year. After the soba noodles, the first day of Oshougatsu is carried on with ‘osechi ryori,’ which consists of multiple preserved foods (e.g., kuromame, kobumaki, and renkon), typically layered together upon multiple lacquer boxes, assembled to make a ‘jubako.’ As is predictable, the various ‘osechi ryori’ foods also have significant meanings: kuromame wishes for health, kobumaki indulges in happiness, and renkon hopes for a bright future. With so many affirmations tied together with the food, it would certainly be bad luck to neglect eating the traditional cuisines!
Spain:
You’ve probably seen this tradition all over social media platforms as it went viral. The 12 grapes tradition is dear to the Spanish culture in the New Year’s season, dating all the way back to the 1800s. Representing one month each, the grapes are meant to be eaten for each chime rung for midnight’s 12 bells. The saying goes that a sweet grape provides good luck for the prospective month a grape represents (the third grape would be March, for example), while sour grapes symbolize bad luck for the month. While this choice is optional, some people choose to eat their grapes under a table to bless new love in the new year. The tradition in Spain also recommends you hold a glass of champagne while eating the grapes. A gold ring should be submerged in the champagne, soliciting the universe for wealth. While not a food tradition, Spain also encourages celebrants to wear colored underwear. Green, for instance, sends good financial luck, growth, and hope your way.
Brazil:
Brazil is another country with a strong emphasis on food choices to start the New Year. Foods like lentils are consumed to promote luck and prosperity, while pork and fish are served for forward movement into the New Year—don’t eat poultry; it symbolizes moving backwards! What I found most interesting about Brazil’s traditions, though, is that pomegranates are not only consumed but also savored until January 6th. The pomegranate’s flesh is consumed, but seven seeds are meant to be kept, wrapped in paper, and placed in your wallet until the 6th. The lucky number seven isn’t only used to wish for wealth through the seeds, but is also carried on through other traditions. Brazilians in coastal cities like Rio de Janeiro tend to plunge into the ocean at midnight and jump over seven waves, making a wish for each wave. Another common food consumed on New Year’s can also be fruit. Passion fruits or pineapples, for example, allow you to pass the new year with abundance.
China:
During the Lunar New Year, Chinese families usually eat dumplings and fish, which both symbolize wealth and prosperity. Red is also a profound color during the New Year’s time. It is thought to ward off misfortune and bad luck.
Scotland:
Including multi-day festivals to celebrate the Scottish New Year, Hogmanay, it is typical to eat steak pie for warmth and prosperity.
France:
With a nickname as the ‘food capital’ of the world (I think the 654 Michelin stars do prove this), it isn’t surprising to see that the country also goes all out for New Year’s. Lavish feasts called Le Réveillon (it can also be hosted on Christmas Eve) include oysters, foie gras, game, champagne, and wine. Together, they all symbolize joy and celebration!
Ethiopia:
While not celebrated on the modern calendar’s New Year, Ethiopian New Year’s, Enkutatash, features communal meals of injera or wot stews. They are typically enjoyed communally to symbolize unity and a renewal of community.
Korea:
Korean New Year’s, Seollal, is also a big deal in Korea. Rice cake soups like Tteokguk, sweet rice dishes like Yakbap, and Sanjeok, skewered meat and vegetables, are all eaten for good fortune in the new year.
Andean Indigenous Communities:
While celebrated on the Winter Solstice (June 21st), Andean New Year’s, or Inti Raymi, consists of many food-related routines. Foods, seeds, and drinks are placed on mantles as offerings for the sun and Earth. Alongside vibrant dances and communal gatherings, the tradition, moreover, celebrates nature and the blessings it provides.
Obviously, with hundreds of differing traditions around the world, it couldn’t possibly show them all in one article. However, by looking at the varying cultures that celebrate New Year’s, it is fascinating to see that, regardless of different languages, customs, or ideals, food and the celebration of a New Year show many similarities. After all, we are all just humans!
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Happy 2026!