Perhaps happy coincidences!

The Anniversary You Can’t Refuse: 40 Things You Didn’t Know About The Godfather
TIME has compiled the most interesting stories, anecdotes and tidbits from the film's production

What’s with All the Oranges?
by Gilbert Cruz @gilbertcruz March 14, 2012

Though some have interpreted the presence of oranges in various scenes as a harbinger of death to come (see the oranges that roll across the street as Don Corleone gets shot, the ones in producer Jack Woltz’s dining room, the ones at the meeting of the dons and those in Don Corleone’s garden), the reason for their presence is likely a more practical one.

In his book on the making of the film, The Godfather Legacy, Harlen Lebo writes, “For [production designer] Dean Tavoularis, oranges were simply another carefully chosen compliment to otherwise somberly dressed sets.

‘We knew this film wasn’t going to be about bright colors, and oranges make a nice contrast,’ said Tavoularis. ‘I don’t remember anybody saying, Hey, I like oranges as a symbolic message“