New Year is a time of joy and happiness. People celebrate New Year by throwing a party and inviting family and friends for celebrations. Decoration of house becomes an important part of New Year party preparations as the guests are expected to evaluate the house. The decorations include decorating outdoors, living room, foyer and other parts of the house. As the celebrations for New Year include New Year dinner, the dishes and tableware play an important role in implementing the overall theme of New Year.
Some of the important tips for Dishes and Tableware decorations for New Year are as under:
New Year Dishes
Though there are a lot of dishes that can be served for New Year dinner, traditionally some dishes are preferred over others for New Year celebrations. The most popular dishes for New Year include
- Green Vegetables: The green vegetables include kale, chard, cabbage and collards are considered auspicious for consumption in New Year. The striking resemblance of the green of the vegetables to the dollar note makes it lucky for bestowing better financial future. Different countries have different beliefs for example the Germans take Cabbage while Danish take kale as an economic fortune booster. It is believed that larger the consumption of greens, the larger is the economic fortune for the next year.
- Grapes: The custom of eating grapes on New Year is dated back to year 1909 when Spanish traders started the practice of taking twelve grapes when the clock strikes twelve. The twelve grapes represent twelve months. It is considered that the likely future is foretold by the kind of grapes you get. The sour grapes represent bad phase of the year whereas sweet grapes indicate good times. There is also a practice of eating the thirteenth grape for good luck.
- Legumes: The small size of leguminous plants like black eyed peas, beans, lentils represent coins and therefore the more legumes you consume, the more is the likely wealth that you will get in the New Year. The legumes are consumed keeping financial fortune in mind. Different countries have different traditions when it comes to Legumes. Countries where the consumption of legumes is practiced are Brazil, Italy, Germany, Southern United States and Japan.
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All of the cheerful and rich colors would bring any party to life. Pork: Pigs are a symbol of progress therefore pigs are consumed to amplify the progression fortune during the New Year. Pigs are served as a part of New Year meal in a number of countries including Hungary, Spain, Cuba, Portugal and Austria. Marzipan pigs can also be found on New Year dinner table in parts of Australia. In United States also, pig is considered a symbol of prosperity.
- Fish: Fish is also a common dish that is served during New Year. In olden times, fish was consumed as the Church prohibited the consumption of red meat on auspicious occasions. Preserved fish is usually consumed during New Year. A lot of Germans consider fish to be very lucky and keep fish scales in wallet for good luck.
- Cakes: Cakes are commonly served in New Year across the Globe. Donuts are also popularly served in Hungary, Poland and Netherlands. New Year cakes are generally round in shape and are distributed to guests of all ages.
There are a lot of superstitions pertaining to food that is served in New Year. Certain food items like lobsters and chicken are considered unlucky.
New Year Tableware
In addition to dishes that are prepared for New Year, care should be taken to ensure that the food is served in the right tableware. Some important tips for selecting tableware for New Year are:
- Color: The color of the tableware should match with the overall color of the decorations. Glass tableware goes along with all types of decoration theme. However, for other specific themes, special tableware can be purchased to gel with the theme
- Disposable tableware: In case there are a lot of guests expected for New Year party, it is advisable to go for disposable tableware as it is a better idea to serve in uniform disposable plates rather than taking multiple sets of tableware for same dinner.
- New Year Special: These days there are a number of alternatives for getting tableware designed especially for New Year celebrations. You can go in for one such tableware set for New Year.
