Many people in Greece smash a pomegranate at midnight on New Year’s Eve to invite good fortune.
In the Greek custom, a pomegranate may be hung or displayed near the entrance before New Year’s Day and then smashed at the threshold. The number of seeds scattered is treated as a hopeful sign: abundant seeds suggest abundance, happiness and prosperity in the year ahead.
The fruit has a long symbolic history in Greek culture and mythology. Its many seeds have made it an enduring emblem of fertility, life and abundance, although the exact ritual differs among regions and families. Some households break the fruit immediately after midnight, while others do so when returning home from church on New Year’s Day.
The ritual is distinct from the Greek vasilopita, a New Year cake that traditionally contains a hidden coin for the person who finds it.