Why Round Fruits Are Traditionally Eaten To Ring In The New Year
With fireworks lighting up the sky and people rushing from person to person wishing one another a happy new year, new years celebrations are full of their own unique chaos. In the midst of all of this chaos, there are often traditions that thread through the celebrations across the years. Just as you have probably wondered why we pop bottles of champagne to ring in the new year, you may have wondered why there is so much round fruit being displayed or eaten.
Many participate in the tradition in multiple Asian cultures of creating an arrangement of 12 or 13 different fruits. Each is associated with a month of the year and carries further meanings associated with the fruits themselves. Whether it is due to their resemblance to coins or not, round fruits in particular are chosen to attract both personal and financial success in the coming year. From pomegranates to papayas, any degree of roundness will often do, as the unity and completeness that the shape symbolizes may lead to good fortune and blessings in the new year.
Roundness is just the first layer of meaning
The color of the fruits also carries meaning. For many people, the green and purple hue of fruits represent a general sense of wealth, while orange symbolizes stability that may come from well-funded situations. Other warm colors may be considered to veer from the strictly financial. While pink is often related to health, red is connected to luck, happiness, and goodwill. A fruit with a yellow hue can be interpreted as a symbol for family unity.
Specific fruits also have unique symbolism. Not only are grapes one of many good luck foods you can eat to ring in the new year, but they are also thought to bring prosperity due to their coin-like shape. Pineapples are a common choice for good fortune in the new year since they symbolize growing finances or better luck and are often considered a sign of hospitality in many cultures.
While apples are associated with peace and harmony, mangos are chosen for their representation of strong familial bonds. The happiness and satisfaction that is embodied by bananas, which are actually considered berries, makes them a reliable choice for a New Year's fruit arrangement.