New Year’s Tradition of Smashing Pomegranates
In Greek culture, the pomegranate fruit has symbolized fertility, luck, prosperity, renewal, and regeneration since ancient times. It has been the symbol of many goddesses, including Hera, Aphrodite and Persephone.Ancient Greeks believed that the pomegranate’s ruby-like arils, or seeds, symbolized abundance, perhaps because of their quantity.Pomegranate trees were mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, where they grew on the island of Corfu. The pomegranate was also closely associated with the Eleusinian Mysteries .Since most New Year's day, rituals involve ways to bring luck to a household, it makes perfect sense that the pomegranates are part of these deep-rooted traditions.
The tradition of smashing a pomegranate on New Year's Day dates back to ancient times and originates in the Peloponnese.In modern times, when the family returns home from church on New Year's Day, the man of the house smashes the pomegranate on the front door. He wishes that the juicy, bounteous ruby-like segments of the fruit fill the home with health and happiness — and joys as many as the pomegranate's arils. According to Greek tradition, the more seeds that spread all over the floor, the more good fortune will be brought to the house!
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