Tonight marks the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, and no matter how wonderful (or awful) your last 365 days were, everyone wants to go into the new year with their best foot forward. The question is: How do you do that?

For many, that includes making resolutions, like promising to hit the gym more regularly or remembering to floss. But if you’re a superstitious person, there are even simpler things you can do to improve your new year — or at least not go into it with bad luck. Here are some famous New Year’s rituals to help you have the best 2026 yet.

Eating 12 grapes at midnight

This tradition originating from Spain involves eating 12 grapes at midnight for good fortune throughout the year. Some trace it back to Spanish farmers in the early 1900s who had a surplus of grapes and sold them by spreading the rumor that eating them would bring good luck.

One variation on the tradition involves eating a grape for each chime when the clock strikes midnight — fail to do so, and your luck may turn poor. Another twist on this superstition: If the grape you eat at the corresponding chime is sweet, you’ll have good luck that month. If it’s sour, not so much.

In recent years, social media users have also popularized the practice of eating grapes under the table as a way to bring about good romantic luck, with the table symbolizing the “protection” they seek from a soulmate.

Wearing specific underwear

Picking out your outfit for a New Year’s Eve party? Don’t forget to wear the proper undies for the kind of luck you’re hoping to bring into 2026. Red underwear, for example, is associated with romance, making it ideal for singles seeking love or looking to spice up their current relationship. Yellow, on the other hand, is associated with wealth and prosperity. Looking to chill out more in the new year? Try wearing white, which symbolizes calm and peace. See what other colors may bring.

Smashing dishes

One unique tradition from Denmark is visiting friends and family’s homes and smashing unused plates on their front porches as a way to bring them luck. The more plates you find on your doorstep, the better your luck will be in the New Year.

Skipping the laundry

One tradition that’s been linked to Chinese practices during the Lunar New Year is to avoid doing any laundry or other cleaning on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day — doing so may wash the good luck right out of your home. Legend says that removing anything from your home on these days could even mean “washing a loved one away,” leading to their death.

So, if you had any reason to park on your couch the night after a New Year’s Eve bash — Stranger Things finale, anyone?! — just remember that it might help you avoid bringing bad luck into your home.

Eating black-eyed peas and collard greens

Looking for a hearty meal this New Year’s? Eating black-eyed peas and collard greens, which are popular in the South, may bring financial success when eaten on Jan. 1. Why? The black-eyed peas symbolize coins, while collard greens stand in for paper money. Cooking them with tomatoes is also said to bring both financial prosperity and good health. And if you want to really encourage good luck, eat at least 365 peas — one for each day of the coming year.