Today marks the Lunar New Year — the first day of the Year of the Dragon — a year I find personally auspicious. It’s my year, after all.

I was born in the Year of the Dragon — I’m old enough not to go into details — and I always look forward to my own year in the Asian zodiac. You might say, I’m “fired up” about the New Year. (Don’t groan too loudly.)

This year, especially, since I effectively took January off for an extended visit with family and friends, I really feel like now is the right time to start a new year.

I’m ready to set some goals. Outline some projects. Block out time on my calendar. Start fresh.

Since Feb. 10 is also the feast day of Blessed Alojzije (Aloysius) Stepinac of Croatia (learn about him here), it seems fated that I should talk about some New Year’s traditions from my Croatian side.

Yes, the dragon represents the Asian year. But the pigs with their gold coins represent an old Croatian tradition.

First, though, you should know that in Croatia (a country known for its potent plum brandy), people believed that the way you behaved on New Year’s Day would set the tone for your entire year. Ideally, you should have a neat house and everyone in it should be quiet and well behaved all day. That may have been due to overindulgence in plum brandy the night before, but I can’t say for sure.

The main course, if possible, was pork on New Year’s Day.

They didn’t eat chicken, because chickens move their feet backward as they scratch the soil. Having chicken on your table could bury all the year’s good fortune.

They didn’t eat rabbit because the timid creatures run away, carrying good fortune with them.

They didn’t eat fish because they swim away from you, prosperity slipping away in their wake.

They did eat pork because pigs, when they root around for food, dig forward. As they uncover treasures to munch, they also uncover heaps of good fortune for the new year.

So put some pork on your table tonight and enjoy the fortune of fresh, new year!

À bientôt!