The Greek New Year’s Eve tradition of cutting a cake with a hidden lucky coin is called Vasilopita.
Vasilopita is a New Year cake or sweet bread prepared in Greek households and communities. A coin, known as a flouri, is baked into it before serving. The person who receives the slice containing the coin is traditionally considered lucky for the coming year.
The cake is named for Saint Basil, whose feast day is celebrated in Greece on January 1. Families commonly cut slices for household members, absent relatives, visitors, and sometimes symbolic figures such as the house or a business. Recipes vary by region and may resemble a cake, brioche, or citrus-flavored bread.
Vasilopita is sometimes confused with Christmas sweets such as melomakarona and kourabiedes. Those are seasonal treats, but the hidden-coin New Year custom specifically belongs to vasilopita.