Kick off the New Year with a new tradition inspired by celebrations around the world. These rituals, including eating ring-shaped treats and (safely) leaping off a chair at the stroke of midnight, will bring luck -- and fun -- into the new year.

All over the world, foods in the shape of a ring are thought to bring good fortune throughout the new year, possibly because they symbolize "coming full circle."

In Sweden and Norway, it's customary to celebrate the New Year by eating rice pudding. In fact, many hide an almond in the pudding and the person who finds it is promised prosperity in the new year.

In the South, eating black-eyed peas shows humility and thus invites good fortune. In addition, collard greens and other greens are considered lucky because they look like money.

Get the Recipe for Hearty Black-Eyed Peas

In Cuba and Austria, it's traditional to roast a suckling pig on New Year's Day because the animal symbolizes advancement into the future.

Some revelers mark the New Year by quickly eating a dozen grapes at midnight. The fruits are said to be a predictor of the year ahead: Each sweet grape represents a good month, each sour grape a less-than-lucky one. Adopt the tradition by threading grapes onto skewers, and serve each in a glass of Champagne just before the countdown.

In Italy, lentils are served on January 1 -- the belief is that they will bring prosperity, since they resemble little coins. Wish family and friends a "buon anno" with this lentil, grape, and feta salad.

Many Danish people celebrate the New Year by jumping off chairs at the stroke of midnight. Leaping is said to banish bad luck and bring good fortune into the new year. They also traditionally throw plates at neighbors' doors to symbolize their friendship. The person with the most broken plates is said to have the most friends.

In Germany, fish are symbolize good luck. Some people also put a few fish scales in their wallet to bring prosperity.

In Greece, they celebrate the New Year by baking a coin into a sweet bread called "vasilopita." It's said to bring luck to the person who finds it.

In Belarus, unmarried women compete to see who will be the first to wed in the new year. Each woman places a pile of of hay in front of her and waits as a rooster is let loose. The lucky woman whose hay is visited by the rooster first wins.

One of Japan's most beloved foods, soba (buckwheat noodles), are customarily eaten at midnight on December 31, when they are called toshi-koshi ("from one year to another") soba. Noodles symbolize longevity, so the longer they are, the better.

For Hogmanay, the celebration of the Scottish New Year, merrymaking continues for two days. At midnight on January 1, revelers toast friends and family with a glass of whiskey, accompanied by a few heartfelt choruses of Auld Lang Syne, a poignant song written by Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. After midnight, neighbors go "first footing," exchanging food and drink door to door. According to superstition, if the first visitor to cross your threshold is a tall, dark, and handsome man, the year will be a prosperous one.

The custom of toasting as we know it today originated in medieval England. Back then, the clinking of glasses was accompanied by the exclamation "Waes haeil," Middle English for "Be well." The word "toast," in this context, came along in the 17th century when pieces of spiced, toasted bread were placed in drinks, perhaps to enhance their flavor. Today, people throughout the world toast the New Year.