The last few days of December are about evaluating things. We review the year just ending and start to think about the one ahead by setting new goals.

We always hope that the new year will be more exciting and peaceful than the last, a wish that is often accompanied by little superstitions, which have now become traditional.

It’s common practice to serve certain foods like lentils, grapes and pomegranates for New Year’s Eve dinner. But where do these beliefs come from?

Lentils are a must-have for New Year’s Eve dinner with their flat, round shape resembling coins. In Ancient Rome, it was a common custom to give a small bag of lentils (known as a “scarsella”) to your loved ones in the hope that each lentil would turn into a coin. Eating lentils is a way of wishing for financial prosperity in the new year.

Grapes are also associated with wealth and abundance: “If you eat grapes at New Year’s, you’ll be counting your money all year long” as the saying goes. In Spain, this belief is so well-established that it has given rise to “nochevieja”, a tradition whereby as the clocks strike midnight, you eat 12 grapes to the 12 bell chimes. If you manage to eat them in time, you’ll have a year full of wealth and good luck. Alongside wealth, pomegranates are associated with fertility, and are a way of wishing good luck for anyone planning to have kids in the new year. Mandarins are also frequently found on New Year’s Eve dinner tables because they’re considered a good omen and a way of wishing for long life.