Why should we eat lentil soup at New Year’s Eve?

According to the Hungarian tradition it has significance of what we eat and think during the first day of the Year. Eating lentil soup on the first day of the New Year is one of the most common habits in our country. Lentil is the symbol of coins, so with every little piece consumed, hopefully our wealth will increase. Anyone who eats a lens on the first day of New Year will have a wallet full of money throughout the year.

Not many people know that luck will only stays with us when the lentil is placed on the table at midnight. So if we do not manage to get home by midnight, we have to prepare a plate in advance on the kitchen counter or in the dining room to ensure our luck for the next year. It’s also a good idea to put a handful of raw lentil in our pocket.