Round shapes are favored in the Philippines' New Year's Eve tradition to attract prosperity.
Many Filipino families display round fruits, wear clothing with polka dots, and keep coins or other circular objects nearby as the year changes. The circle is associated with coins and money, so these practices express hopes for financial abundance in the coming year.
Some households prepare 12 round fruits, with one fruit representing each month. The number 12 is not the only feature of the custom, however: the circular form is the central prosperity symbol. Fruit choices vary, and families may also use grapes, oranges, apples, melons, or other round produce.
These practices are commonly linked to Chinese-Filipino cultural influence, especially ideas about lucky shapes and abundance, but they have become part of broader Filipino New Year's celebrations. They are folk traditions rather than a single religious requirement, so details differ by family, region, and community.