Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar. In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes -- like tuxedos   and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise. It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year's promise, called a resolution. New Year's resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year. Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year. Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year's Day. The more grapes a person eats , the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas   for good luck -- but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them! Which is probably true about eating black-eyed peas on New Year?
Black-eyed peas taste bad. The peas are very difficult to cook. One pea brings one day of luck. It is bad luck to eat a lot of black-eyed peas.