A coin is traditionally baked into Greece's New Year's cake, vasilopita, for someone to find.
Vasilopita is a Greek New Year's cake named after Saint Basil, or Agios Vasilios. At the start of the year, the cake is cut ceremonially, with pieces often assigned to Christ, the household, family members and guests. The person who discovers the hidden coin is traditionally expected to receive good luck for the year.
The cake can vary by region and family. Some versions resemble a sweet bread, while others are more like a citrus-flavored cake. The coin is normally wrapped carefully before baking or inserted afterward, because an unwrapped metal object could be unsafe.
The custom is associated with the feast of Saint Basil on January 1. It is sometimes explained through a story in which Basil recovered valuables and returned them to their owners by placing them inside loaves. Modern celebrations preserve the symbolic search even when families use a purpose-made token instead of an ordinary coin.