New Year’s Traditions Around the World

The holidays are one of the times when people celebrate in truly unique ways. Day to day life around the globe may seem as mundane as anywhere else, but cultures around the world developed separately and have traditions that may seem novel to the rest of us. New Years is a time that expresses the individuality of cultures even more so - a time that has been celebrated separately for centuries and occurs in the middle of the night. In the US, people tend to stay up until the new year officially starts, celebrating with friends and family and making New Year’s resolutions that, usually, are not followed through on. How do people look on the New Year far away from “home” though? What importance does the flipping of the calendar and the rotation of the Earth mean to other people? Here are some of the more unique traditions from around the globe:

In India, Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi, which is in April. People celebrate by participating in parades, singing, and dancing. They also go to the Gurdwara to pray.

In Denmark, people shatter their unused dishes against friends’ and family’s doors. They also climb on chairs and jump into the New Year for good luck.

In Ecuador, people burn scarecrows.

In Spain, people traditionally stuff 12 grapes in their mouth at midnight-if you can fit all of them, you will have good luck the upcoming year!

In the Philippines, everything needs to be round. The circular shape and spherical nature of things is meant to indicate coins and wealth in the coming year.

In some South American countries, the color of your underwear determines your fate! Wearing red underwear destines you to love, gold underwears means wealth, and white is peace.

In Japan, all of a person’s bells are rung simultaneously - 108 times - as part of the Buddhist belief that the tradition will cleanse a person. Smiling as the new year comes about is also a sign of good luck.

In Takanakuy, Peru, a festival is held at the end of December where people who had disputes during the past year have a fist fight to settle them. That way, the new year means a new slate.

In Switzerland, people drop ice cream on their floor. Just be careful that you aren’t standing under someone’s balcony.

In Romania, spare coins are thrown into a nearby river for good luck. People will wish their cows a good new year.

In some places in Puerto Rico, pails of water are thrown out the window.

In Belgium, people wish cows a happy new year, as in Romania!

In Bolivia, coins are baked into different sweets and baked goods. Whoever gets the coin gets good luck for the next year. *

In France, people eat a stack of pancakes (although I have never heard or seen anyone do this.) *A similar tradition does exist in France, but is celebrated on January 6th. People bake a “galette” and place a small porcelain token in it. Whoever finds the token is the “king” or “queen”).

In Colombia, people carry their suitcases around all day in hopes that it will mean a year full of travel to come.

In Thailand, people throw buckets of water on each other, and go around covering others with grey talc (a sort of mineral powder).

In Chile, people spend the night at a cemetary.

In Ireland, people hit their walls with bread.

In some parts of South Africa, people throw - no, not buckets of water - but furniture out of their windows!

In Siberia, people jump into frozen lakes while carrying tree trunks.

In Finland, people will cast molten tin in a bucket of water and interpret the shape that comes out of it to predict the coming year.

In Panama, effigies of “everyone and anyone famous” are burned.

In Scotland, the first person to walk across the entrance of a house should come in bearing gifts for good luck.

In Estonia, people sit down seven times on New Years day. Each time, they eat a meal as a sign of abundance in the coming year.

So while traditions around the world celebrating the ending of the old and the beginning of the new may seem strange, each one is deeply rooted in a culture that stretches long into the past. People all agree that the New Year should be started with good luck, and that prosperity, love, and happiness are paramount to a successful year.