What Not to Eat

In addition to the aforementioned lucky foods, there are also a few to avoid. Lobster, for instance, is a bad idea because they move backwards and could therefore lead to setbacks. Chicken is also discouraged because the bird scratches backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past. Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.

Now that you know what to eat, there's one more superstition—that is, guideline—to keep in mind. In Germany, it's customary to leave a little bit of each food on your plate past midnight to guarantee a stocked pantry in the New Year. Likewise in the Philippines, it's important to have food on the table at midnight. The conclusion? Eat as much lucky food as you can, just don't get too greedy—or the first place you'll be going in the new year is the gym.

除了這些幸運(yùn)食物之外，相對(duì)的，也有一些最好在新年避開(kāi)的食物。比如龍蝦，因?yàn)樗偸堑怪?，在新年吃它象征倒退，這樣可不好。還有傳統(tǒng)警告我們要避開(kāi)所有帶翅膀的家禽，因?yàn)樗鼈儼凳局疫\(yùn)會(huì)飛走。