What New Year’s Eve tradition involves a midnight kiss for good luck?

The New Year’s Eve tradition involving a kiss at midnight is the midnight kiss.

In many English-speaking celebrations, people kiss when the clock reaches midnight on December 31. The gesture is commonly treated as a sign of affection and a way to invite good luck, emotional closeness, or a happy relationship in the coming year. Its exact origin is not established by one universally accepted historical account.

The custom is part of a wider group of New Year rituals in which the first moments of the year are thought to influence what follows. Other examples include making resolutions, raising a toast, making noise, or greeting the first visitor. Customs differ considerably between countries and families, so the midnight kiss is not a universal New Year practice.

The tradition is also distinct from first-footing, a Scottish custom concerning who first enters a home after midnight, and from the twelve-grape ritual in Spain. A midnight kiss is a social gesture rather than a calendar or religious ceremony.