New Year’s Day is filled with traditions and superstitions meant to bring good fortune and luck in the coming year. One of the most widespread and peculiar traditions is avoiding chicken on New Year’s Day. But where did this strange belief come from and is there any truth to it? Let’s take a closer look at the history and origins of the “no chicken on New Year’s” superstition.
The Origins of the Superstition
The exact origins of this superstition are unclear, but it seems to have emerged independently across several cultures. In the United States, the tradition has roots in the American South. Some theories suggest that because chickens scratch the ground backwards to find food, eating chicken on New Year’s Day might cause your luck and fortunes to scratch backwards too.
Other Southern traditions state that eating black-eyed peas and greens will bring wealth and prosperity in the new year. Therefore avoid chicken and opt for more lucky fare. The superstition has also been documented in European and South American cultures. It likely began simply from the symbolic associations people attributed to certain animals and foods.
Why Poultry is Considered Bad Luck
The superstition specially pertains to chicken but extends to other poultry like turkey, duck, and goose. Anything that scratches backwards in the dirt looking for food is considered unlucky. Forward movement signifies progress, so a backwards-scratching chicken evokes regression. Eating one on New Year’s Day might bring setbacks instead of positive new beginnings.
Other superstitions consider poultry like chickens to represent poverty and hard times. Their scratching behavior resembles the struggle of barely scraping by. Again, not an association you want carrying into your new year! The belief likely arose in agrarian societies where chicken farming symbolized hardship versus cattle or hog farming which represented wealth.
Alternative Lucky Foods
Since poultry is out, what should you eat for good luck? Here are some of the top foods consumed on New Year’s Day around the world:
-
Pork – Pigs represent moving forward and therefore progress.
-
Greens – Dark, leafy greens symbolize money and prosperity.
-
Black-eyed peas – Considered good luck in many Southern traditions.
-
Lentils – Resemble coins so bring wealth.
-
Grapes – Eat 12 for good luck in the 12 months.
-
Cornbread – Yellow represents gold.
-
Fish – Swim forward so signify positive motion into the new year.
A lucky Southern New Year’s meal might feature pork, black-eyed peas, greens, and cornbread. Italian meals focus on lentils and grapes. Build your menu around the lucky foods of your culture’s traditions.
A Widespread and Ancient Superstition
The tradition of avoiding chicken on New Year’s Day appears in cultures worldwide, from the Americas to Europe to Asia. The exact origin may remain murky, but the superstition likely dates back hundreds of years. The symbolism that became attached to certain foods and practices arose organically over time and became ingrained in cultural calendars.
Some trace the Southern U.S. roots back to the American Civil War era when eating chicken was associated with poverty. Many traditions also have roots in encouraging abundant agriculture and livestock in the new year. Ancient celebrants wanted to avoid livestock that might scratch up newly planted seeds!
Do People Still Avoid Chicken Today?
In modern times, many still adhere to the “no chicken on New Year’s” superstition, either in full or in part. Some see avoiding unlucky foods as a fun tradition and important part of honoring cultural heritage. Others enjoy the symbolism of eating lucky foods without necessarily avoiding all poultry.
That said, the taboo has faded overall with globalization. You’re unlikely to face ardent opposition if you serve chicken wings at your New Year’s party. But people still commonly associate New Year’s with traditional lucky fare, not chicken. Times change, but this peculiar superstition remains ingrained in our cultural consciousness.
So there you have it! The origins of avoiding chicken on New Year’s Day may remain murky, but the superstition spans cultures worldwide. Next New Year’s Day, embrace lucky traditions and foods, and you just might leave the chicken off the table. Honor the folklore, and bring good tidings for you and yours in the year ahead.
Don’t Eat Bottom Feeders
Seafood like shrimp, cod, scallops, halibut, and bass are what are considered bottom-feeders, because they scavenge for food along the bottom of the ocean. If you dont want to be living off scraps in any part of your life in the upcoming year, you should avoid them.
Dont worry though, if youve got a hankering for seafood, youve got a couple options. You could replace it with mushrooms, like in our vegan “scallops” with succotash or our mushroom “calamari”, or just go for an alternative, forward-swimming fish like salmon.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Avoid Lobster, Crab & Other Crustaceans
If you dont want to experience major setbacks next year, youre going to want to avoid eating crab, lobster, and other crustaceans this New Years. Thats because these creatures move backward or side to side instead of forward.
Dont worry, though, you can still get your seafood fix—just swap in for any fish that swims forward, like salmon or tuna. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Why Do We Eat Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day?
FAQ
Why are you not supposed to eat chicken on New Year’s?
Now it’s very bad luck to eat chicken or turkey, because they scratch backward for food, so anyone consuming this type of poultry is destined to “scratch in the dirt” for food in the upcoming year. Oh, and any kind of beef is out as well, as cows eat standing still, and no one wants to do that.
Why are you supposed to eat pork on New Year’s Day instead of chicken?
Aside from the flavor, the pork also has a symbolic meaning in the New Year’s meal. The pork is meant to represent a positive move into the new year. This meaning stems from the fact that pigs root forward when they are foraging. The cabbage represents wealth and financial well being in the new year.
What meat are you not supposed to eat on New Year’s?
My German grandparents always said you eat pork on New Year’s Day and NOT chicken, because pigs root forward (to the future, into the new year) to find their food, while chickens scratch backwards (to the past, to the last year) to find bugs and stuff to eat.
Is chicken a lucky food for new year?
Serving an entire chicken (head and feet included) celebrates wholeness and prosperity in the new year. The Chinese word for chicken, jī, is a homophone for good luck and great wealth and also symbolizes unity.
Why can’t you eat chicken on New Year’s?
**The answer to the question “Why can’t you eat chicken on New Year’s?” is that chickens scratch backward, symbolizing setbacks and bad luck. Thus, consuming chicken on this day may bring negative energy or misfortune into the new year.** 1. Can you eat chicken during the rest of the year? Yes, absolutely!
Can you eat chicken on New Year’s Eve?
Yes, eating chicken on New Year’s Eve is considered bad luck. From roast chicken to chicken wings and turkey, you should avoid all poultry on New Year’s. This also applies to New Year’s Day. If you’re a huge fan of chicken, if there are two days in the year when you should go ‘cold turkey’ (excuse the pun), then it’s these two days.
Does eating chicken bring bad luck?
It’s long been believed that eating chicken – or any fowl really – will bring bad luck. This is because birds scratch around in the dirt, and also because they scratch while moving backward. These are two things that symbolize moving backward, not forward, which is symbolic for the year ahead.
Should you eat chicken if you’re superstitious?
But if you’re superstitious and looking to go into the new year with every possible edge – you really shouldn’t. It’s long been believed that eating chicken – or any fowl really – will bring bad luck. This is because birds scratch around in the dirt, and also because they scratch while moving backward.
Should you eat chicken on the first day of the year?
Another oft-repeated belief holds that one must not eat chicken or turkey on the first day of the year lest, like the birds in question, diners fate themselves to scratch in the dirt all year for their dinner (that is, bring poverty upon themselves).
Can you eat pigs on New Year’s Eve?
There are a number of lucky foods to choose from. St. Louis Magazine explains that eating pork has the opposite effect of eating chicken because pigs move forward while scrounging around for food. If you overindulge on the champagne on New Year’s Eve, it’s entirely possible that you’ll wake up on New Year’s day with a holiday hangover.