What do many Filipinos display or eat at New Year to symbolize prosperity and good fortune?

Many Filipinos display or eat twelve round fruits at New Year to symbolize prosperity and good fortune.

The twelve fruits represent the twelve months of the coming year. Their round shape is associated with coins and wealth, making the tradition part of a wider set of Philippine New Year practices intended to attract abundance. Families may arrange the fruits on a table or serve them as part of the midnight meal.

Common choices include oranges, apples, grapes, melons, and other round produce. The exact selection is not universal, and some families use more than twelve fruits or adapt the custom to what is available.

Other New Year customs in the Philippines include making loud sounds, opening windows or doors at midnight, and wearing polka dots. These practices are often explained as ways to drive away bad luck or invite prosperity. The fruit tradition should not be confused with Spain’s twelve-grape ritual, although both use the number twelve.