Don’t leave it to chance: tricks to make 2024 a lucky year

No, it is not about the glass, it is about the various jam jars and jars with clasps lurking in the cupboard. Before we start the evening’s festivities, let’s make sure that the bins that hold household essentials – salt, flour, coffee, honey, other goodies we love – are full. With this little “trick” you can make sure that there will always be plenty of them next year. Speaking of honey, here is one more practical tip for lovers: tradition has it that couples who put honey on their lips at midnight and kiss each other will be happy for the next year and their lives will be full of sweet delights.

A green tip! If being environmentally conscious is important to you (also) in the new year, visit a packaging-free shop to stock up your pantry. There are several options on the Hello Hungary map, for example, we highly recommend Csipetke in Szeged.

Here is a little-known money fetching technique: take a coin and bury it. Fortunately, the story does not say that this operation has to be carried out outdoors, as the slightly or very frozen ground can be a problem. But indoor houseplants presumably don’t mind spending 12-24 hours with a coin: yes, you have to dig up the coin on New Year’s Eve to bring money into the house! Researchers have not yet looked into the subject, but we think it multiplies the luck factor if you bury a 5 forint coin with your first initial in the ground.

If you are looking for a fruitful business relationship, you might want to add some fruit to your sausage and champagne combination on New Year’s Eve. It is believed that apples are the best choice for luck, which may have something to do with the fact that in the middle of winter it was relatively difficult to find mangoes in the last century. In addition, apples have another useful feature: they have many small seeds. Tradition says that the more seeds you find in the centre of an apple, the more satisfying business you can expect in the coming year.

At zero o’clock, the last year needs much the same thing as the guests do when they head home at the end of the party: a wide-open door. After midnight, don’t forget to open the front door for a moment to wave goodbye to the previous year and all the good and bad that it has brought with it. At the same time, of course, we can also invite the new year to present us with many, many pleasant moments!

On New Year’s Eve, it is very important to be well-fed, but be careful not to eat the entire contents of the fridge, because an empty fridge can mean that the New Year can take away all the well-being and joyful moments. But let’s see what you should eat and what you shouldn’t put on the table. Chicken and hens are generally on the banned list, as is turkey, and even scallops should be kept away from the pan, as fish can make good luck swim away. Pigs, on the other hand, can come in any quantity, because they bring us abundance. Few people know it, but on New Year’s Day, round snacks also bring good luck. And what’s round besides the lentils? Yes, the pancakes! So on the day after the big celebration, it is worth frying up a good batch of pancakes and eat them with the happy knowledge that every bite is a foundation for financial abundance in the new year!

If you don't feel like frying pancakes for hours on New Year’s Eve (or before and/or after), you should visit the Révkapu Small Restaurant in Vác, where you can also try a classic speciality of the rolls, the ice pancakes!