On New Year's Eve in Greece, the pomegranate is traditionally cut or smashed as a symbol of good fortune and abundance.
Greek New Year customs may involve a pomegranate being broken at the entrance of a home or church. The many seeds are associated with prosperity, fertility, and abundance, so a scattering of seeds is viewed as an auspicious sign for the year ahead. In some households, the fruit is also opened and its seeds examined as part of the ritual.
The pomegranate has deep roots in Greek mythology and Mediterranean symbolism, including stories involving Persephone and the underworld. That older symbolism helps explain why the fruit appears in later seasonal customs. The Greek New Year tradition is distinct from Spain’s twelve-grape custom and from the coin hidden in vasilopita, the Greek New Year’s cake. Those practices can occur at the same holiday but involve different objects and meanings.