Here’s to a happy, healthy and successful 2018

New Year's Eve has a close connection to Italy, as the name goes back to Pope Silvester I, who died in Rome on December 31, 335 and was later canonized.

Lentils promise good luck in the new year

While the last evening of the year in this country is not necessarily associated with a big meal, New Year's Eve in Italy is a big meal. On “Veglione di Capodanno” (New Year’s Eve) you meet up with family and friends at home or in a restaurant and eat, dance, drink and celebrate! The New Year's Eve menu can vary from region to region, but almost everywhere it includes "Lenticchie" (lentils), which are considered a lucky charm in Italy due to their coin-like shape and symbolize growing wealth in the new year.

The red underwear thing

Some other “lucky” customs accompany New Year’s Eve in Italy. So you should definitely wear red underneath. This is said to bring happiness, health and love in the new year. Very important: the red underwear should be new and not something you bought yourself. Many Italians also close their eyes at midnight, cross their index and middle fingers (the equivalent of crossing their fingers in German) and make a wish for the New Year. But no matter whether you celebrate New Year's Eve in Italy, Germany or anywhere else in the world, the Toscana Forum wishes you a happy start to a healthy and successful 2018.