SALT LAKE CITY — Irma Hofer believes that walking around her home with an empty suitcase will bring her adventure and travel in the new year.
"I would love to go back to Europe, I haven't been there in a while. Then, go back to Mexico to see my family," Hofer, who lives in West Jordan said.
That's just one of many New Year's Eve traditions Utah families are embracing as the year comes to a close.
Hofer celebrates with multiple traditions. She prepares to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight — one for each month of the year for good luck. Her celebration includes round foods like lentils for abundance and dressing in bright colors.
"Wearing red underwear for love and passion or yellow for wealth and good luck," Hofer said.
Inside the Sikh Temple of Utah in Taylorsville, Gursimran Singh and his family begin their countdown to 2026 with reflection and prayer.
"We'll sing hymns and scriptures until right at midnight. At midnight, we typically offer a prayer," Singh said. "We always ask for the greater good for all humanity and then we always ask for forgiveness if we've committed any mistakes or if we've had any wrongdoings in the past year. We ask that God puts us on the correct path in the following year."
For Emily McCoy, ringing in the new year starts in the kitchen, cooking her family’s favorite recipes. Dishes passed down through generations. "We would already have our black-eyed peas, cabbage, and cornbread," McCoy said "We clean the peas the first night, and you're usually doing that with your grandmother, mom, and letting those soak. The smells in your home, the food that's cooking, all those senses, and everything that you are involved in sets the tone for the new year."
For Rodrigo Navarro and his family, what’s on the table isn’t random; every dish has meaning. "We usually have noodles, the longest noodles you can serve," Navarro, who lives in Sandy, said. "So, you can live a long life."
Back home with Hofer, she keeps her empty suitcase close, hoping it works its magic. She hopes to travel to Portugal in the new year. "These are things I'd do with my parents and grandparents, it's what keeps us connected," Hofer said.
