New Year's Eve in Sicily is magical: just as we have seen in the article about Christmas traditions in Sicily, also on New Year's Eve Sicilians put in place a series of customs and traditions made of food and strange propitiatory rituals for the New Year. Among oddities and a lot (but a lot!) of food, we will see together how to spend a New Year's Eve in Sicilian style and how to ensure a 2021 full of luck!

New Year's Eve in Sicily: the most popular traditions in the Island

How do Sicilians celebrate New Year's Eve? With which tasty and super caloric dishes do they lay their tables? Which oddities do they put in action in order to chase away bad luck and to inaugurate the new year? Get ready for an amusing excursus of the most ancient and widespread Sicilian New Year's traditions!

Culinary Traditions

Just like for Christmas, also for New Year's Eve Sicilians do not renounce to the classic table with friends and relatives: we know that for this 2020 we should be satisfied, but we can always remember the past dinners and project ourselves to the next New Year's Eve dinner of 2021! First of all, before delving into the details of the different traditions, we have to make a clarification: New Year's Eve, for the classic Sicilian family, starts on the morning of December 31st, when uncles, grandparents, mothers and fathers get to work to cook and prepare everything that will be put on the table in the evening. This is an important moment: everyone does their best and participates in the preparation of the dinner. This practice is still carried on among generations and helps to consolidate the importance that the concept of family has for all Sicilians. The parties, in fact, are a moment to be lived in family and, not being able to do it this year clouds, just like an annoying fog, the happiness in the houses of the big island. Trying to forget for a moment all this, let's immerse ourselves in Sicilian culture: which are the most popular dishes?

The Endless Dinner

The New Year's Eve in Sicily begins with appetizers: olives, the classic platter of cold cuts and cheeses, caponata, meatballs, canapés, panelle, croquettes, arancinette, prawns and so on and so forth! In short, as we Sicilians say, everything that can be "spizzuliare" (picking) while waiting for the real courses is considered an appetizer. The pre-dinner "spizzuliata", which can go on for hours, is accompanied, of course, by the first inevitable toasts of the evening. It continues with the first dishes , which can be both fish based, such as spaghetti allo scoglio, and meat based, such as the classic and unfailing baked pasta or the tasty lasagna. If this already seems enough, wait until you see the second dishes: salt cod breaded in semolina and then fried, sfincione (especially in the Palermo area), sardines a beccafico, cotechino and lentils, roast with mashed potatoes and the classic orange salad.

And to finish.... the desserts and dried fruit!

In Sicily, just like Christmas, New Year's Eve dinner ends with a series of sweet delights: Sicilian cassata, panettone, torroni, cannoli and dried almond pastries. And after dessert? Here comes to the table the "cesta pu scacciu" or "cannistru", a mixture of dried fruits such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts and chickpeas. This basket will remain on the table throughout the rest of the evening and will keep the group company during the long-awaited "card games"!

Traditions in company: waiting for Midnight!

After dessert and the "scacciu", everyone go home? But of course not! The most awaited moment of the evening arrives: we all sit around the table and while we continue to "spizzuliare", we entertain ourselves with the most popular games among the Sicilians: the unfailing Sicilian cards to play Sette e Mezzo, Teresina and Cucù, but also Tombola and Bingo. Everything becomes magical in this festive atmosphere, a rare occasion to spend some time with the family. Does the New Year's Eve in Sicily end here? No! For Sicilians, Midnight is the moment to propitiate the New Year!

Sicilian Rites against misfortune

A few minutes before Midnight, people stop playing and get ready for a series of "rituals" which guarantee an year without bad luck and illnesses. There are those who prepare an even number of grapes (tradition of Spanish origin) or a spoonful of lentils to be eaten at the stroke of Midnight: in fact, both foods are round-shaped and symbolize coins, a ritual clearly performed to ensure wealth for the new year. And to attract good luck and to drive away bad luck? You break old dishes , wear red underwear and give the first kiss of the year to a person of the opposite sex. Would you like to find true love in the new year? All you have to do is pit a pomegranate and eat it like Proserpine did before she fell in love with Pluto according to the ancient Greek myth. Have you taken notes? Now you don't have any more excuses: you have all the knowledge you need to ingratiate yourself with Lady Luck!

What about January 1st? We continue to eat!

The true Sicilian is never satiated: after having eaten all night between cards and various "spizzuliate" of sweets and dried fruit, he drags himself into bed only for a short rest. In fact, when he wakes up he will be ready to start again exactly as he did the night before: from the appetizer to the "scaccio" and even this time.... until late at night!

New Year's Eve: you can't live it on site? Then bring it to your home!

No matter where we are or where we go, we Sicilians have and will always have Sicily in our hearts. This year, unfortunately, many will be unable to return to this magnificent land to spend the holidays in the company of their loved ones. If you are reading this and you find yourself in this sad situation, we have a solution for you: sign up now to our Newsletter and you will receive a 10% discount to receive a personalized basket of Sicilian products at your home! And then ... you can always do some rituals to ward off bad luck in the hope that 2021 will be a better year!

What are you waiting for? You can still feel at home!