Often times it is said you make your own luck.

Per German tradition, however, when many families sit down to a pork and sauerkraut dinner on New Year's Day, they will be eating their own luck.While it is unclear when the "good luck" meal tradition started, pork was chosen as the meat because pigs "root forward" for food as opposed to chickens, which scratch backward.Aside from sauerkraut's good luck tendencies, cabbage has historically been one of the most abundant foods in the winter, making it easy to get.Local secretsLocally, many residents still prepare the dish and have different secrets as to what makes it so delicious.Using a slow cooker for the pork is a popular choice, said Charlotte Christine Loprete, of Nesquehoning."I use apples, brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon and slow cook it all day," she said of her roast.Others have different ideas.Donna Lech, of Tamaqua, uses a peeled, cored and sliced apple along with a half can of beer.Judi Reichardt Gross also uses beer, but adds bacon to the mix.While many cooks opt for tradition, some swap out the pork for another meat."I use chicken instead of pork and it's wonderful," said Ruth Bush, of Lehighton.Tessy Serfass, of Palmerton, and Lora Quigley, of Jim Thorpe, said the key to tasty sauerkraut is making it yourself.Where to eat outMaking New Year's Day dinner at home isn't for everyone, however, and Bowmanstown Volunteer Fire Company serves the meal of choice for readers of Times News' Facebook page.As it has done for over 20 years, the fire company will host a dinner from 3 to 6 p.m. on Thursday at 259 Lime Street in Bowmanstown.Jean Guldner, who oversees the meal preparation, said she thinks it is the personalized service that draws between 150 and 180 patrons each year.The dinner is buffet style with guests going through a line and requesting just the right amount of everything from one of 11 servers."You can ask for more or less sauerkraut, gravy on the bottom, more or less potatoes," Guldner said. "I think everyone likes that and it gives the people a chance to have conversation with the servers and vice versa."It wasn't always that way. Meals used to be served out of the kitchen, but Guldner could sense something was missing."Everyone's meal was the same," she said. "When we switched it up, people really liked that."Striving to please everyone, the fire company will also serve corn if someone isn't a fan of sauerkraut.Cooking was completed Tuesday in Bowmanstown, with everything in coolers by the evening.On Thursday, volunteers show up by 1 p.m. to get ready for the dinner. Everyone has their own job, Guldner said.The dinner costs $8 for a large plate, $4.50 for a small plate and both include a beverage and dessert."We go through about 100 to 150 pounds of meat," Guldner said.Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 175 S. Third St., Lehighton, is serving a free pork and sauerkraut dinner on Thursday with seatings at noon and 1 p.m.Reservations must be made by calling 610-377-4303. Seatings are limited to the first 250 guests. No walk-ins will be accepted.Other traditionsPork and sauerkraut is popular in Pennsylvania Dutch country, but other regions have their own tradition.In Spain, for example, people eat twelve grapes at midnight on Jan. 1, one for each stroke of the clock.Cooked greens are consumed in the southern United States because it is believed that eating more greens will lead to making more money.The Japanese believe eating herring roe will increase fertility and scarfing down shrimp will lead to a longer life.Certain foods are also bad luck on New Year's Day.Lobsters move backward and could lead to a year in reverse. Winged fowl can fly away and are also not a good idea if you're the superstitious type.