If your ship didn't come in this year, don't despair. There's always next year – and tomorrow night might be just the time to practice some of the magical rituals handed down through generations in Costa Rican folklore to give your luck a little boost.

On New Year's Eve, sprinkle a handful of rice in every corner of your house. Next day sweep up all the grains with a new broom and save them in a little bag. The old wives guarantee this will keep food on the table all year.

Wear something yellow and you're bound to meet your true love in the year to come.

If it's travel and adventure you're after, pack a suitcase and leave the house with it at exactly midnight. Walk at least one block to ensure a year full of travels.

To guarantee money all year, Ticos used to ask 13 different friends for cincos (five-céntimo coins) before midnight Dec. 31. The tiny coins are virtually extinct now, but the tradition lives on using five-colón coins.

See the latest print or digital edition of The Tico Times for more Costa Rican New Year's superstitions.