Why kissing under the mistletoe brings good luck and other Christmas and New Year superstitions

This is a tradition that is gaining more and more followers. Maybe because it’s pretty, simple and romantic. Already in Ancient Greece, mistletoe was used in ceremonies such as marriage since the Greeks considered that this plant had the power of life and fertility. In addition, they also believed that mistletoe was a plant of peace and that it could help reconcile. In this way, they established that, when they made peace, they would kiss each other to forget the problems they had had. It can also be made with holly.

If you don’t want to have bad luck, it’s better that the number of diners at the table is even. But since this is not the game of chairs, if you are odd, “compensate” by placing a bowl or a teapot of honey in the center of the table, and thus good luck will stay with you.

Although for Eva it was the end of her days in paradise, tradition says that if you eat an apple on Christmas Eve you will be ensuring excellent health for the next 12 months.

Place a gold ring in the glass of cava and toast with it. Gold is a symbol of wealth and if you toast with it you ensure that money is not missing at home. If you don’t drink, bite the ring. Just be careful not to swallow it.

It is our most popular tradition. There is no New Year’s Eve without grapes. Although they say that the tradition dates back to 1090 when there was a surplus of the harvest in Alicante. There are also those who claim that the origin comes from the custom among the Spanish bourgeoisie of the 19th century of eating grapes and toasting with champagne to welcome the coming year.

Avoid bad fario and when it’s time to eat nougat, serve it split. And superstition says that breaking nougat at the table brings bad luck.

A very American tradition (there is no movie or series where they don’t celebrate the New Year without a kiss). And if you kiss those who have shared the last dinner of the year with you, you ensure that the emotional bond with these people will be maintained for the next twelve months.

This tradition comes from Russia. A wish is written on a piece of paper and at the end of the night it is burned. The ashes must fall into a glass of cava that must then be drunk. Another version is that during dinner you have to keep the wish in the shoe and then burn it. And if you don’t feel like drinking the ashes, you can burn the wishes in a bowl or throw them into the fireplace.