The Greek New Year's Eve cake vasilopita traditionally hides a coin.
Vasilopita is a New Year's cake or bread served in Greece and other parts of southeastern Europe. A coin is baked into the cake, and the person who finds it in their slice is traditionally said to receive good luck for the year.
The cake is named for Saint Basil, whose feast day falls on January 1 in the Greek Orthodox calendar. It is commonly cut at midnight on New Year's Eve or during a New Year's Day gathering.
Families may assign slices symbolically to household members, absent relatives, the home, or Saint Basil before serving the rest. Recipes vary by region and may resemble a sweet bread, sponge cake, or citrus-flavored cake.