10 funny Hungarian dos and don’ts for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid, rounded up some of the most popular New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Hungarian superstitions. Below you can read ten dos and don’ts helping to make 2023 a year of great success.

Here are the don’ts based on blikk.hu.

Do not wash or dry your clothes

Hungarian folk tradition has it that on 1 January you should not wash or dry your clothes because you may lose your luck. Furthermore, drying may cause the death of a close relative or acquaintance.

You should not throw anything into the rubbish on 1 January

Otherwise, we may throw away your next year’s luck. Using the waste bin is only allowed from 2 January. Besides, you should not take anything out of the house.

Clean up your mess

Although you should not tidy up your place on 1 January, you should keep everything neat and clean around you. If you fail to do so, chaos will rule your next year.

Do not go to the doctor!

If you see the doctor on 1 January, it will bring about sickness and injuries in the new year.

Photo: Pixabay / TheAngryTeddy

Do not lend money

If you do so, it will be difficult to reclaim it. Moreover, you will spend more money on water in the new year.

• Read also: Check out these strange Hungarian superstitions!

Do not eat poultry

Ducks, chickens and turkey have wings, so your good fortune may “fly away”. On the first day of the new year, you should eat lentils, roasted pig and strudel. Those dishes will bring you luck for the year ahead.

Avoid women guests on 1 January

If the first guest of the new year is a woman, you will be unlucky, a time-honoured Hungarian folk tradition believes. Meanwhile, if it is a man who passes your threshold first on 1 January, you can expect a successful new year. That is why Hungarian grandmothers wanted men to wish them a happy new year back in the day.

Do not polish off all the food on New Year’s Eve

If your fridge gets near empty by 1 January, your household will regularly run out of food in the next year.

Photo: Pexels

And here are 10 dos you should consider to ensure a successful new year

Eat lentils

If you eat lentils after the stroke of midnight, you will never be in the red in the new year. If it is not your favourite veggie though, here is a lucky trick. Tuck some lentils in your pocket to have a successful 2023.

• Read also: Check out the craziest Hungarian superstitions

Bake a coin into the cake to bring you an abundance

However, you must devour all the cake on New Year’s Eve. Otherwise, the prophecy will turn against you.

Bathe in fresh, cold water on the morning of 1 January

According to a Hungarian folk tradition, the first bucket of water brought from the well on the morning of 1 January was considered “golden water” for its believed magical properties. Furthermore, if there was snow around, women would use it for cleansing as it was said to beautify them.

Fill the kitchen with sugar, salt, coffee, pepper, etc.

Stock up on these goods, so you will never find yourself short on essential staples in the new year.

Sweeten the new year with honey

In the old times, lovers would feed each other with spoons of honey and exchange kisses to have a long-lasting, harmonious relationship.

New Year’s Eve, source: pixabay.com

Eat pork on New Year’s Day

According to Hungarian lore, the forward movement of pigs when they root around for food on the ground signifies a “moving forward” trajectory in life. Thus, if you want to start the year off on the right track, prepare a pork dish for your loved ones.

Plant a coin in your garden

Hide a coin in the soil on New Year’s Eve and unearth it on New Year’s Day. As a result, you will have a prosperous new year.

If you go to a fortuneteller on New Year’s Eve, you may find out the name of your future spouse

Singles might wonder if there is love on the cards in the new year. To increase your chances of finding out the identity of your future partner, you can also light a candle at home when the clock strikes midnight.

Business people should consume fruit

This custom is said to bring you a fruitful year. Provided you eat an apple, you should count the seeds. The number of pieces will indicate how much luck you will have in the upcoming year.

A young man should first wish you a happy new year

Ideally, if you want to tie the knot in the new year, this person should be your current partner.

Read alsoHungarian superstitions and how a foreigner sees them

Source: blikk.hu