Why is herring good luck

Herring has been a standard Scandinavian, Dutch and Northern European dish since the Middle Ages, due in part to its abundance—which it has become symbolic of, making it a popular, lucky New Year tradition. While Southerners may dig into hoppin' John, those in parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio savor slow-cooked pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day.

The dish is said to bring good luck and progress because pigs are known to root forward, or move ahead, while sauerkraut is made with cabbage, which is tied to symbolic riches and prosperity and a long life thanks to its long strands.

The Germanic tradition was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Fresh pork was the star of Christmas and New Year's meals for early settlers because of its timing with winter hog butchering, and sauerkraut was served as a side dish because winter was also cabbage harvesting season. Sweet pretzels are eaten at breakfast or brunch for good luck in the coming year. German-Americans who aren't eating pork and sauerkraut on January 1 are probably enjoying a special New Year's pretzel instead.

The German good-luck symbol, which some say dates back to the early 20th century in Sandusky, Ohio , is more sweet than savory, topped with a glaze rather than salt and often served at breakfast or brunch. Pittsburgh magazine says the pretzel, which can also be punctuated with nuts and candied fruit, is said to bring good luck for the coming year. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you.

Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Hoppin' John. Recommended for you. Tamales, corn dough stuffed with meat, cheese and other delicious additions and wrapped in a banana leaf or a corn husk, make appearances at pretty much every special occasion in Mexico.

But the holiday season is an especially favored time for the food. In many families, groups of women gather together to make hundreds of the little packets -- with each person in charge of one aspect of the cooking process -- to hand out to friends, family and neighbors. On New Year's, it's often served with menudo, a tripe and hominy soup that is famously good for hangovers. Those who live in cities with large Mexican populations shouldn't have much trouble finding restaurants selling tamales to go for New Year's Eve and Day.

In Mexico City, steamed tamales are sold from vendors on street corners day and night. Oliebollen, Netherlands. An oliebol is a doughnut-like product, traditionally made and consumed in the Netherlands during the New Year's celebrations.

In the Netherlands, fried oil balls, or oliebollen, are sold by street carts and are traditionally consumed on New Year's Eve and at special celebratory fairs. They are doughnut-like dumplings, made by dropping a scoop of dough spiked with currants or raisins into a deep fryer and then dusted with powdered sugar.

In Amsterdam, be on the lookout for Oliebollenkraams, little temporary shacks or trailers on the street selling packets of hot fried oliebollen. Austrian revelers drink a red wine punch with cinnamon and spices, eat suckling pig for dinner and decorate the table with little pigs made of marzipan, called marzipanschwein.

Soba noodles, Japan. Many Japanese slurp down bowls of delicious Soba noodles to welcome the new year. In Japanese households, families eat buckwheat soba noodles, or toshikoshi soba, at midnight on New Year's Eve to bid farewell to the year gone by and welcome the year to come.

The tradition dates back to the 17th century, and the long noodles symbolize longevity and prosperity. In another custom called mochitsuki, friends and family spend the day before New Year's pounding mochi rice cakes.

Sweet, glutinous rice is washed, soaked, steamed and pounded into a smooth mass. Then guests take turns pinching off pieces to make into small buns that are later eaten for dessert. King cake, around the globe. Pomegranate Sorbet. Pomegranate-Apple Cocktails. Though the number of pieces varies by region, eating any round fruit is a common New Year's tradition.

According to Spruce Eats, people in the Philippines and Spain, eat 12 round fruits , as the shape resembles that of silver and gold coins. Honey-Poached Oranges. Anne Hathaway's Stuffed Peaches. Roasted Apples. From the coastal American South to Europe, people eat green leafy veggies — including kale , collards and cabbage — on New Year's Day because of their color and appearance, which resembles paper cash.

Spruce Eats notes that the more greens you eat, the more prosperous you'll be and the healthier, too! Mustard Greens and Chard with Lemon Vinaigrette. Creamy Garlic and Herb Spinach. Skillet Stuffed Cabbage. Kale Salad with Glazed Onions and Cheddar. Mushroom and Arugula Salad Pizza. In Germany, Poland and Scandinavia, it's believed that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will ensure a year of bounty — as herrings are in abundance throughout Western Europe. CNN also notes that their silvery color resembles that of coins , a good omen for future fortune.

According to Doris Lum, a Chinese cuisine expert, the Chinese word for "fish" sounds like the word for "abundance," one of the many reasons fish has become a go-to good luck food.

Also, Rosemary Gong writes in Good Luck Life , her book on Chinese celebrations, that it's important for the fish be served with the head and tail intact to ensure a good year, from start to finish. Salt-Baked Fish. Blackened Fish Tacos. Mediterranean Grilled Sea Bass. Cod in Parchment with Orange-and-Leek Couscous. A popular New Year's meal in Italy is Cotechino con Lenticchie green lentils with sausage because of the legume's greenish color and coin-like appearance , according to NPR.

Deeper into the myth: When cooked, lentils plump with water, symbolizing growing wealth. Lentils are also considered good luck in Hungary, where they're preferred in a soup.

Lentil Hummus. Steak with Lentil and Grapefruit Salad. Indian-Spiced Lentil Soup. Some say it's because these animals never move backward, while others believe it's all in their feeding habits they push their snouts forward along the ground when rooting for food.

And the lucky food isn't limited to pork — foods shaped like pigs think cutout cookies count, too. Hawaiian Pork Pull-Apart Rolls. Cuban Grilled Pork. Considered good luck due to their penny-like appearance and abundance, Spruce Eats notes that these peas, enjoyed in the southern United States, are traditionally served in a dish called Hoppin' John. On the day after New Year's Day, leftover "Hoppin' John" becomes "Skippin' Jenny," meant to demonstrate frugality and promote prosperity in the new year.

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