We all celebrate New Year's, but did you know that countries around the world have a whole slew of different traditions that they follow? Well, you're in luck because we have compiled a list of many of the traditions from around the world that take place on New Year's. Whether you were looking for something to try yourself this year or you simply wanted to learn something new, we're sure we can satisfy that need with these awesome holiday traditions. So if you want to know how New Year's works around the world, check out the list below!
Watching Something Drop
We're all probably aware of this tradition, so we decided to put it at the front. Typically, the thing to watch in the USA is a ball weighing over 10,000 pounds covered in more than 2,500 Waterford Crystal triangles and 3,000 LEDs. But if you wanted to watch something else, Wisconsin has the Big Cheese Drop, Pennsylvania drops a giant mushroom, and New Orleans drops a fleur de lis in place of the original pot of gumbo.
Whatever it may be, we just seem to love watching things fall to the ground. It has become a huge part of our New Year's celebration and the parties and anticipation make for a really great time!
Making a Resolution
Another of the common traditions for New Year's in America is to make yourself a New Year's resolution. This is something like a bad habit that you want to give up or something you want to do better in the coming year, basically anything that might help better yourself for the future. While this might not bring you good luck, it may bring you good in other ways, or at the very least help you make yourself a better you.
And this tradition didn't star in the USA. Historians believe that Babylonians, one of the first cultures to celebrate the new year, made promises to pay off debts or return items they borrowed by the end of the new year. This tradition could be well over 4,000 years old!
Baking Bread
While you may be adding some love to all the food you make, Armenian's are adding luck to it. At least, on New Year's they certainly are. On New Year's Eve, Armeniens will bake bread that's imbued with good luck in order to bring good fortune for the coming months. The good luck is metaphorically kneaded into the bread on the last day of the year and is shared amongst the family.
So maybe this year you'll add some extra luck to your bread as well as all the love you usually add to it. It couldn't hurt to do that, could it?
Eating Twelve Grapes
A tradition known as "las doce uvas de la suerte", in which people eat grapes to bring in good luck and prosperity for the new year, is popular amongst the residents of Spain. What they'll do is they'll eat exactly 12 grapes, one for each strike of the bell when the clock hits midnight. It has been an established tradition since 1906 but dates back to at least a decade prior when it was popularized to help vine growers sell more of their harvests.
It sounds like an awesome tradition to us. Any excuse to eat grapes is a good excuse, especially if it comes with good luck and prosperity in the next year!
Ringing Bells
Spaniards may eat grapes for every strike of the bell, but there is another country where the ringing of the bell is quite literally the tradition in and of itself. In Japan, the bell is struck exactly 108 times during a ceremony known as joyanokane. The first 107 bells are rung in anticipation of the new year while the last bell ring is performed at the very stroke of midnight.
This performance is supposed to rid each and every person of the 108 evil desires that reside within them as well as to cleanse the past year of any sins.
Practicing First Footing
In Scotland, there is still a common tradition to only allow a dark-haired male to be the first one to enter your house in the new year to afford good luck. There are a couple of reasons for this. Traditionally speaking, these men would bring gifts like shortbread and whiskey and would symbolize a coming fortune. A light-haired man, on the other hand, could be the exact opposite.
The reason is that when the Vikings invaded Scotland you wouldn't want to be seeing a light-haired man running towards you. But what do you do if you invite people over and none of the males have dark hair?
Eating Oliebollen
An olibal (plural oliebollen) is a type of dumpling or doughnut made by frying some dough in oil or lard and is traditionally eaten on New Year's in the Netherlands. It was originally a means to ward off the Germanic goddess Perchta who would cut open the stomachs of those who failed to properly celebrate or partake in the festivities during the Yule in ancient times. It sounds pretty extreme if you ask us.
Still, we do not want to be attacked by any goddesses either and it doesn't sound like a bad treat, so why not make some oliebollen for yourself this year?
Wearing White
If you're having a lot of trouble deciding what to wear for New Year's, maybe you can borrow a tradition from Brazil. On New Year's, everyone puts on their best white clothes (or whatever white clothes you own) and makes their way into town for the New Year's celebrations. The color of the clothes are meant to be representative of peace and good luck which we assume everyone wants in life.
Wearing white is also super stylish and having a whole bunch of people wearing the same outfit as you for the new year can make for some really nice pictures.
Jumping Some Waves
Wearing white isn't the only tradition they have got going on in Brazil. You'll also see droves of people running into the water for even more New Year's luck. If you want to follow the tradition, you need to run into the water and jump over seven waves. The best part about it is that you get to make one wish for each of the seven waves that you jump over.
That sounds like a great idea to us! And since it's in the southern hemisphere, it's probably much warmer than you would expect. Summer vibes and wishing on waves sounds like a great way to spend New Year's.
Throwing White Flowers Into The Sea
If you were wondering if Brazil has any more traditions, then look no further for we have another one to tell you about. It's pretty normal to see people in Brazil making offerings to the Yemoja, a great water deity who controls the seas, in order to obtain blessings from her for the years to come. These offerings can include white flowers and candles so don't be surprised if you see them floating around.
It must be a sight to see all of these traditions involving the color white and the sea. White petals everywhere and people jumping into the water must make New Year's a really exciting time.
Making Some Wishing Spheres
One of the coolest traditions has to be Singapore's "wishing sphere" ceremony. This tradition was invented as a means to bring people together and is an event win which everyone writes their wishes down on a big white ball and tosses it into the Singapore River. Every year, people from all over the world gather to partake in the event and thousands of different spheres can make their way into the river.
Sometimes this can lead to the entire river being filled with these balls. But it's really cool to see so many people gather together to take part in a New Year's celebration.
Wearing the Right Underwear
There are a few countries that believe the color of your underwear can determine your fate. Different colors mean different things--white for peace and blue for love, for example. In Italy, they choose to wear red underwear on New Year's because the color is supposed to be associated with fertility. Depending on the superstition, you might find other people wearing other colors of underwear on New Year's...well, hopefully not literally seeing them wearing it!
You should try your luck and wear whatever color you think is best for your next year. Go wild! There's no harm in having a little fun with this tradition.
Hanging Onions
If hanging garlic on your door is for warding off evil things like vampires, does that mean that other closely related vegetables have magical powers, too? Well, maybe. In Greece, people believe this vegetable to be associated with development. They are a symbol of rebirth because they are always trying to plant their roots and keep growing. We'd say that's about right for a vegetable that makes its way into most dishes.
And maybe the onions can also drive away evil creatures that come to bring bad luck. Well, even if it doesn't do anything it sure looks cool as a natural decoration.
Revisiting the Dead
In Chile, there is a special tradition on New Year's that helps bring families close to their loved ones again. Instead of going to mass at church on New Year's, they instead meet at the cemetery in order to allow families to include the deceased in the new year festivities. For something that might normally be a spooky place, it's nice to see other cultures bringing them into a place of everlasting love.
We might normally not consider spending too much time in a cemetery, but if it means more family can be around with us, then we are all in on this!
Eating Soba Noodles
In Japan, it's common to eat a soba noodle dish called Toshi Koshi soba, which means year-crossing noodle. The origins of this tradition are unclear, but people speculate that the reason behind this tradition was the meaning behind the noodle itself. For one, the noodles are made to be long and thin which represents long life and good health. And the resilient buckwheat they are made out of can be thought of as a sign of strength.
But it is all up for interpretation. All we know is that we would love to celebrate a good, long, and healthy life by chowing down on some soba noodles.
Breaking Dishes
Have you ever gotten so angry that you just wanted to grab something and smash it? Well, in Denmark, breaking plates and other dishware might actually be a sign of good luck as well as a way of getting rid of ill-will and frustrations in preparation for the new year. They say that the bigger the pile of broken stuff you have piled in front of your door, the better.
We don't know how great that is for the look of your beautiful house, but it definitely could be fun to break a couple of plates at your friends' houses.
Jumping off of a Chair
That's not the only thing that people in Denmark do during the new year. In fact, it seems that this other tradition also seems to be something our mother would not let us do on New Year's (or any other day for that matter). People will quite literally hop into the new year by jumping off of a chair at the stroke of midnight, leaping feet first into January the next year.
It sounds like Denmark is a pretty fun place to be during New Year's. Being free to break plates and jump off of chairs is like the first fantasy that children have.
Father Frost
Back in 1929, Christmas was banned as a religious holiday in Russia, and Christmas trees were also illegal until they became known as New Year's trees in 1935. Because of this, New Year's became the holiday meant for gift-giving, and eventually, Father Frost, also known as Ded Moroz, became the seasonal gift-giver. His granddaughter, Snegourochka, is often there to help him since he has no elves or reindeer to help deliver gifts.
While there may be no Christmas to be had for the little kids of Russia, they're still able to celebrate the gift-giving season and the new year at the same time. Sounds pretty rad!
Planting A Tree Underwater
In Russia, it has also been a tradition for over twenty-five years already for two divers to take a decorated spruce tree into the frozen waters of Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world (which explains where that Christmas tree went). They dive over a hundred feet down to prop up a decorated spruce tree for the new year. Why? We couldn't tell you, but judging by the number of people who want to partake in it we'd say it's pretty cool.
And it definitely takes a lot of dedication to keep a tradition like that going for so long. Who knows? Maybe one day it will become an official New Year's tradition.
Drinking Your Wishes Down
One of the more traditional New Year's ceremonies to perform in Russia is the ceremonious drinking of ash. This ash comes from none other than the person drinking it. They are meant to write their wishes down on a piece of paper, burn it to ash, and sprinkle the ashes in a glass of champagne that will be drunk at midnight. These wishes are supposed to come true in the next year.
It's kind of like a New Year's resolution without doing any of the work, isn't it? Well, if it works then we certainly wouldn't mind gulping down a fine glass of ash.
Burning Effigies
You may think of a scarecrow as something to, well, scare all the crows away from your crops. There's a reason this works; the bird thinks it sees a person who could be dangerous to it and it flies off. In Ecuador, some scarecrows take on a different meaning on New Year's. People will quite literally burn these dolls that are used to represent the past year's politicians, pop culture icons, and other well-known figures.
This is done in an effort to rid the bad from the last 12 months as we settle into our next year. Hopefully, there won't be many things to burn next year.
Smashing Pomegranates
Onions aren't the only food-related tradition that the people of Greece have on New Year's. If you are looking for something else to bring you good luck, you might want to consider smashing a pomegranate against the door of your house just after midnight. The fruit symbolizes fertility, abundance, and life due to the sheer amount of sees inside of it. Apparently, the farther the seeds spread apart on the ground, the better your luck will be.
And most of the fruit will probably be intact enough to still eat, so you get a yummy treat as well! We just hope you don't have any white paint you want to avoid staining.
Melting Lead to Receive a Fortune
In Germany, many of the celebrations of New Year's revolves around the tradition of Bleigießen, or lead pouring. In order to take part, one must melt a piece of lead (now typically tin due to lead's infamous toxicity) on a spoon or other utensil and then pour it into some cold water. The shape that the piece of metal takes on is supposed to be directly related to your fate for the year.
If you get a ball, then luck is supposed to roll your way. Get a chalice shape and you'll be blessed with a happy future or a frog for a lottery win. Whatever you get, you'll probably be a winner!
Cutting Apples
In the Czech Republic, it's more commonplace to base your fate on the shape of an apple's core. It seems like a pretty simple thing to leave all of your luck up to, but seeing as some of the other things on this list require some blind faith, we'll say this is alright. Basically, you need to cut the apple to reveal a star pattern in the core, otherwise, it may be a sign that you'll fall ill.
The trick is to cut the apple in half on the circumference. Most apples' cores are already shaped like a star, so this should get you the best results... unless, of course, you've got the unlucky apple.
Eating Many Meals
While many of these traditions involve eating something special for the new year, Estonia sees whole meals as a good sign for the new year. In their country, the numbers 7, 9, and 12 are considered lucky, so some people will actually eat upwards of 12 meals for the new year. While you may be wondering how anyone could eat so much food, an easy answer is that food is often left over for their departed family to eat in spirit.
Considering we all love food, this sounds like a pretty good deal to us. And maybe if you eat enough, you'll be able to last the whole year full and happy.
Sprinkling Salt
You may have heard that spilling salt can lead to many years of bad luck for the person who spilled it, but in Turkey, they actually use salt to bring good luck into the new year. As soon as the clock hits 12, people will go out and sprinkle the salt in front of their doorstep. According to tradition, doing so is supposed to bring prosperity and peace throughout the year.
Hopefully, it will also cancel out any lingering effects of spilling salt. If it doesn't, we might not see any of that peace and prosperity that they promised us this year.
Kissing Someone You Love
One of the many other traditions you might have practiced on New Year's is kissing someone you love. It is, in fact, not exclusive to America, nor does it require that person to be someone you are dating. According to The Washington Post, the tradition stems from English and German folklore that stated that it's "the first person with whom a person came in contact that dictated the year’s destiny".
Sounds like you're going to have to choose your partner wisely! But if there isn't anyone that you have to give a smooch, then perhaps you should try this tradition on for size:
Sleeping on Mistletoes
In Ireland, it is a big thing to sleep on some Mistletoe if you have no one to kiss on the New Year. Similar to how the mistletoe symbolizes love on Christmas, it is also used to bring in good fortune regarding one's love life. If you sleep on it by putting it under your pillow, you should, at the very least, be greeted with an image of your future spouse in your dreams.
The good news is that most people have access to mistletoes around this time. Just recycle the plant you used on Christmas and you should be able to pull off this tradition pretty easily.
Eating Some Hoppin' John
Hoppin' John is a dish made from black-eyed peas, ham, rice, and collared greens traditionally prepared during New Year's. The tradition was adapted from West African folklore where people would carry around this bean in order to ward off evil spirits. Many people even add a coin to the pot for someone to find and bring prosperity into the new year. But even if you don't find the coin, this dish is quite delicious!
You can also make any other dish that involves black-eyed peas if this does not suit your needs. After all, the dish isn't the good luck charm, it's the bean.
Eating Round Fruits
There are many countries around the world that believe in eating round fruits for the new year. In Italy, rather than eat Hoppin' John for a meal, they make a dish out of lentils that serves basically the same function--the lentils representing coins in much the same way that the black-eyed peas do. In the Philippines, they eat exactly 12 fruits, similarly to Spain, that represent each of the twelve months.
These fruits are supposed to ensure a year of abundance, and their round shape could relate to the planet and the year coming around full circle. And they're delicious to boot!
Eating Some Fish
Fish are thought to be a lucky food on New Year's throughout many cultures around the world. For one thing, they swim in large schools which symbolizes abundance. Not only that but their scales are said to be representative of coins that bring prosperity. Finally, fish are thought to only swim in one direction, which alludes to us moving forward and leaving behind everything that we might not want to bring with us.
The heads of fish are also eaten during the Jewish new year (Rosh Hashanah) to symbolize being a leader rather than a follower in the coming year. Sounds like fish are just the perfect food for the holiday!
Buying a Lucky Charm
We just had the season of giving, but if you still feel like you have some gifts you want to give, you should consider trying out this German and Austrian tradition. Buying a specific trinket can be seen as a token of good luck for the new year. Things like pigs, clovers, and, for some reason, even mushrooms and chimney sweeps are thought to be a good thing to give someone as the dates change.
So if you were fixing for a new keychain, why not find yourself and a friend a nice pig or two. Clovers are also always welcome and can be used on Saint Patrick's day as well.
Burying Other Items in Food
Similar to what some people do with a coin and Hoppin' John, there are other places around the world that hide things inside the food they make. In Scandinavian countries, many people will make a type of rice pudding to hide a peeled almond in for one person to find. This person is supposed to end up lucky, and some people even throw in a tangible prize to raise the stakes.
Greece does something similar but instead of rice pudding, they bake a coin into a cake or sweet bread known as vasilopita. Just be careful that you don't make it too hard to find or someone might end up swallowing it!
Running Around With Suitcases
If you were maybe looking for something to do on New Year's that will bring you something besides general good luck, peace, and prosperity (though why wouldn't you want those things in your life?), then you should try this one out. In Colombia, it's seen as good luck to carry around something closely associated with travel, so they run around the streets as fast as they can with empty suitcases in hand.
This is supposed to open up your new year to a full 12 months of adventures and travel. That sounds good enough for us, we hope that we don't scare anyone trying to make our travel wishes come true.
Throwing Some Water Out of the Window
In Puerto Rico, there is a common tradition to dump a bucket of water out of your window. This tradition is supposed to drive evil spirits away from the home. However, this can end up being pretty rough for neighbors or anybody who might pass by, so some people opt, instead, to throw some sugar out of the window. This ultimately protects strangers from getting wet while simultaneously inviting in good luck.
But whatever you choose to do during New Year's is up to you. It's less about the tradition and more about how you are going to make the next year even sweeter (which, we can all agree, we most certainly need). So get out there and have some New Year's fun!