A pomegranate is traditionally smashed against a door for good luck at New Year’s midnight in Greece.
In the Greek custom, a pomegranate is broken at the entrance of a home, often by the person regarded as bringing good fortune into the house. The many seeds symbolize abundance, fertility, and prosperity. A fruit scattering widely is commonly interpreted as an especially favorable sign.
The ritual is part of Greek New Year observances, which also include the cutting of vasilopita, a sweet bread or cake containing a hidden coin. The person who finds the coin is said to receive luck for the coming year.
Pomegranates have long carried symbolic importance in Greek culture and mythology, including stories involving Persephone and the underworld. The New Year door ritual should not be confused with the separate custom of eating pomegranate seeds or with the cutting of vasilopita; the defining action here is smashing the whole fruit at the threshold.