Congratulating & wishing luck: How & why?

[ospx]

What do Japanese people do in order to wish good luck?

What do they say? What does this mean in English? Do they make any special gestures?

And, most important:
WHY do they do it this way? What's the cultural background? Where does that custom come from?

As I am told, you need more information in order to answer this question:

The situation is:

The Japanese Parliament wishes good luck to the European Union as the new currency Euro is introduced.

Looking forward to your helpful replies.

Thank you.