This weekend we’ll be saying goodbye to 2022, and ushering in the promises of 2023. Do you plan on eating black-eyed peas, sharing a kiss at the stroke of midnight, or any of the many other American New Year’s traditions? Well, below are a few other traditions from different cultures around the world. Maybe you’d be interested in adopting some of these fun traditions yourself.
Argentina: On New Year’s Day, after everyone has shredded old documents and paper, the scraps are thrown out the window like confetti. It’s customary for everything to be shredded, symbolizing leaving the past behind.
Brazil: The New Year is regarded as a time to reflect upon the past and make new resolutions for the coming year. In Brazil, everyone wears white because the color signifies luck, and prosperity, and is meant to ward off bad spirits. As the tradition goes, revelers gather on the beaches donning white garb where they jump seven waves—a lucky number in Brazilian culture—for good fortune and throw flowers into the water as an offering to Lemanjá, the goddess of the sea.
China: To symbolize happiness and good luck in the New Year, Chinese celebrants paint their front doors red. Red is a very prominent color in New Year’s Eve celebrations in China, with red packets of money for children, red rackets for married couples, and red lanterns.
Colombia: Columbians boast an array of New Year’s traditions intended to bring fortune and prosperity to those who participate. Partygoers carry empty suitcases at midnight in hopes of inducing a year rife with travel. They also bear money in hand to attract financial security and stability in the coming year. Lentils are believed to bring luck and affluence, so many bake them into their rice or carry them in their pockets.
Denmark: As a sign of friendship, people save their old dishes in order to break them on each other’s front doors. Residents will allow these broken dishes to pile up in order to show who has the most friends. (Sounds like a fun way to relieve some stress to me.)
Ecuador: Here burning effigies signifies burning the año viejo, or “old year.” Ecuadorians create large effigies in the likeness of politicians, pop culture figures, and other icons and set them on fire at midnight. It symbolizes the cleansing of bad energy from the previous twelve months and is meant to bring about good fortune.
England: For good fortune in the newly arrived year, Brits believe the first guest to enter through the front door should be a young, dark-headed male bearing gifts such as bread (to be full), salt (to be wealthy) and coal (to stay warm). (I think the Brits are on to something, I’d welcome a tall dark, and handsome man any day of the year!)
Greece: In celebration of the Festival of Saint Basil, the Greek New Year, an onion is traditionally hung on the door of homes as a symbol of rebirth, and on New Year’s Day, parents wake children by tapping them on the head with the onion. (I don’t know about all this, lol.) Another customary Greek tradition is consuming Vasilopita, or Saint Basil’s cake. This cake is baked with a silver or gold coin inside, and whoever finds the coin in their slice is considered especially lucky in the coming year.
Iran: Instead of Jack jumping over a candlestick, the people of Iran celebrate the Persian New Year, Nowruz, by jumping over bonfires in people’s backyards. This is seen as a symbol of purification, overcoming challenges of the previous year and preparing you for the year to come.
Israel: Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated in many countries around the world. The holiday takes place in the fall, during the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. During the night the holiday begins, a festival candle blessing is recited as well as the Kiddush, a blessing over wine. Those celebrating enjoy apples and other fruits dipped in honey, which symbolizes sweetness and blessings in the coming year. Throughout the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the shofar is sounded. This instrument is made of a ram’s horn and is meant to symbolize humility in standing before God.
Italy: You’ve heard the old saying, “out with the old, in with the new”? In Italy, some people throw old decor out their windows to signify a fresh start for the New Year. But it’s generally soft items, such as cushions or pillows. (Marie Kondo would be proud.)
Japan: Oshogatsu is celebrated with family, which both cleans and decorates the entire house together. Then natural decorations such as pine branches, plum blossoms, and bamboo play a special role in preparing for the New Year celebration.
The Netherlands: The Dutch New Year’s traditions are marked with fireworks and fantastic explosions. Fireworks are triggered across major cities for hours at a time, described by many as “chaotic bursts of light.” Cars and Christmas trees are also burned as a means to pursue the old and welcome the new
Puerto Rico: In addition to cleaning their homes as the Japanese do, Puerto Ricans clean everything— the car, the garden, and even the streets. They also have a practice of throwing buckets of water out the window in order to do away with the bad juju of last year.
Scotland: Hogmanay celebration is one of the most rousing celebrations in the world. Hogmanay comprises street entertainment, fire festivals, concerts, street festivals, and more celebratory acts, but is also known for its tradition of “first-footing.” According to the custom, the first person who crosses the threshold of a person’s home should bring a gift of luck. Traditionally, this gift was a lump of coal for the fire or shortbread.
South Africa: Some South Africans—particularly those in the neighborhood of Hillbrow in Johannesburg— take cleaning house for the new year to an entirely new level. Throwing old furniture and appliances (think fridges) from the windows of tall buildings somehow helps to make the New Year bright. (I just imagine the falling piano from looney tunes.)
Spain: The most prominent New Year’s tradition in Spain involves consuming grapes. Each year, Spaniards partake in the annual tradition of eating one grape for every toll of the clock at midnight. The twelve grapes consumed are meant to represent good luck for each month of the year. Some even prepare their grapes by peeling and seeding beforehand to ensure they’re easy to consume.
Switzerland: In celebration of the New Year, the Swiss channel good luck, wealth, and abundance by dropping a dollop of ice cream on the floor at midnight. They also line the streets in colorful costumes and perform symbolic ceremonies intended to chase away negative spirits.
No matter how you choose to celebrate this New Year’s Day, please do so safely!
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