China

• Food plays a central role in the Chinese New Year tradition. Fish and dumplings are popular food choices for the New Year's meal. The Chinese word for fish sounds like "save more." So to save more money and earn more money in the future, the Chinese eat fish. Dumplings share the same shape as the silver ingot. To bring more money into the home, the Chinese consume as many fried, steamed, baked or boiled dumplings as they can. The Chinese follow the Chinese calendar so the celebrations and foods are eaten on the Chinese New Year rather than Dec. 31.

Spain

• New Year's Eve or Nochevieja is a family-based celebration that takes place at home rather than a bar or party. As soon as the clock starts chiming that it's midnight, the Spanish start eating grapes. Spaniards eat one grape for each chime of the clock for a total of 12 grapes. The grapes must be finished quickly, before the New Year starts, and the individual will have 12 months of good luck in the New Year. Generally this does not happen and you end up sitting around a table with people who have grapes stuffed in their cheeks.

Italy

• La Festa di San Silvestro is Italy's New Year's Eve celebration. It includes a huge feast, fireworks and time spent with family and friends. Lentils and cotechino are the food of choice. The small, grayish green lentils looks like little coins and represent money and good luck in the new year. Cotechino is a pork-like hard salami. It differs from traditional salami in that it must be cooked for several hours before it is edible. Many Italians will serve lentils and cotechino for La Festa di San Silvestro to bring about good fortune and money.

The Philippines

• The Philippino New Year celebration is called Bisperas ng Bagong Taon. The Philippines shares many of the same traditions as the Chinese with some changes. Like the Chinese, noodles are served to signify long life -- the longer the noodle you eat on a dish, the longer life you will have. Boiled eggs are also served. The round shape of the egg signifies prosperity, luck and new life. The eggs are served wrapped in meats or served in soups. Balut, a delicacy, is a special boiled and fertilized egg.