Italian New Year’s Traditions: Ringing in the Year the Italian Way 🇮🇹✨

Homemade Italian sausage and sweet green pepper tray in homemade marinara catered from Rosie's Sidekick Sandwich Shop

In Italy, New Year’s Eve—La Vigilia di Capodanno—is all about family, food, and a little superstition mixed with celebration. Italians believe that how you welcome the new year can influence your luck, prosperity, and happiness in the months ahead. Naturally, many of these traditions revolve around the table!

Lentils for Luck and Prosperity

One of the most beloved Italian New Year’s traditions is eating lentils (lenticchie) at midnight. Their round, coin-like shape symbolizes wealth and good fortune, making them a must-have dish as the clock strikes twelve. The more lentils you eat, the more prosperity you’re believed to bring into the new year. Lentils are often served alongside sausage or pork, which represents abundance and progress.

Pork for Progress

Pork is another New Year’s staple across Italy. Unlike chickens or cows, pigs move forward when they eat—symbolizing progress and looking ahead. Dishes featuring sausage, roast pork, or cured meats are popular choices, especially in northern Italy. It’s a delicious way to set the tone for moving confidently into the year ahead.

Red Underwear for Good Luck ❤️

Yes, really! Wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is a long-standing Italian superstition believed to bring love, luck, and vitality. The tradition dates back to ancient times when red was associated with power and protection. For it to work, the underwear should be new and worn for the first time on New Year’s Eve—buona fortuna!

Midnight Toasts & Fireworks

As midnight approaches, families and friends gather with glasses of spumante or prosecco for a celebratory toast. Fireworks light up the sky in cities and towns across Italy, symbolizing the release of the old year and a bright, energetic welcome to the new one. The louder the celebration, the better—noise is said to scare away bad luck!

Midnight Toasts & Fireworks

In some parts of Italy, people focus on clearing out the old—literally and figuratively. Tidying the home before New Year’s Eve symbolizes letting go of past troubles and making space for fresh beginnings.

A Year That Starts with Togetherness

At its heart, the Italian New Year is about connection—gathering around the table, sharing homemade dishes, laughing late into the night, and welcoming the year with intention and joy.

Bring Tradition Together with Rosie’s Sidekick

Whether you want homemade Italian sausage or homemade lentil soup, or one of our other staples, like our homemade Italian beef or meatball trays, Rosie’s Sidekick Sandwich Shop is your one-stop-shop for your New Year’s Eve fare! Don’t forget about the baked mostaccioli and pasta salads too!

Oh, and did we mention dessert? You can’t forget the best part – our homemade cannoli, cookies and brownies too!

Our Italian catering brings people together with generous portions, comforting flavors, and the kind of satisfying dishes that leave everyone smiling. At Rosie’s Sidekick Sandwich Shop, it’s all about the love and all about the flavor. We know you and your guests will love it all!

Whether you’re hosting a lunch meeting, birthday party, holiday celebration, or large family reunion—no event is too big or too small for Rosie’s Sidekick Sandwich Shop & Catering.