New Years Traditions
What do you plan on doing this year on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day? Many believe the things you do, and even the things you eat can influence your luck in the New Year.
Even if you’re planning on spending a quiet evening at home, you’ll probably watch the ball drop live on TV or step outside to see a local fireworks show. For a lot of people, New Year’s Day is often spent taking down Christmas decorations, visiting with family, or even cooking certain foods meant to bring luck in the New Year. But if you travel to another area of the globe for New Year’s, you may find yourself watching or partaking in some very different traditions.
Here are some fun and interesting New Years Traditions that many believe will get 2024 off to a good start!
New Year’s Tradition…the champagne toast.
Toasting the new year with a glass of champagne is done in several countries around the world, including the U.S., France, Germany, Belgium, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Some people put gold jewelry such as a ring into the champagne glass and drink up for wealth in the New Year (careful not to choke on your ring!) In some places, they hop 3 times without spilling any champagne and then pour it over their shoulder to let go of the past year and begin the new one.
New Year’s Tradition…A kiss at midnight
New Year’s Traditions …A midnight kiss…the New Year’s Eve kiss is a symbol that your affection and closeness will last all year.
New Year’s Tradition…What Color Underwear to wear into the New Year
New Years Underwear Tradition: In Brazil as well as other South and Central Merican countries, many feel that the color of underwear you wear can affect your luck in the new year. Wearing yellow underwear attracts positive energy and a year of prosperity for the new year, while red or pink underwear will bring a year of romance and passion. Blue underwear is said to bring a year of harmony & health; Green, a year of better luck than the previous year; White for a year of peace, joy, and happiness; Orange for professional success & Purple underwear for inspiration. In Italy, they believe red underwear will bring you luck as well as make you fertile. (In Italy they throw away the underwear on January 2nd.) If you happen to have polka dots or circles on your underwear, even better as the round shape symbolizes coins/money. Oh yes, one more important fact that should go without saying – they need to be clean underwear. For extra luck, make it a new pair of underwear.
New Year’s Lucky Colors. Much like underwear, certain colors of candles or the outfit you wear on New Year’s are supposed to symbolize good luck. Yellow will help with financial troubles, green will bring good health, orange is for wisdom, purple for professional success, red is for love, and blue candles for peace. In Brazil, they believe dressing in white will attract good luck and bring peace in the new year. The white outfit must be new.
New Year’s Lucky Food Traditions
So many New Year’s traditions and superstitions involve food – eating 12 grapes, black eye peas, pork, collard greens – there are so many New Year’s Lucky foods, we gave it it’s own blog post! Here are a few of the lucky foods and traditions from around the world. You may also want to read our lucky food menu ideas, from appetizers to desserts.
- Many people smash a pomegranate right after midnight in Greece outside their front door. Why make this mess? Well, they believe that the seeds will bring prosperity and good fortune. They also put a coin in a cake, such as Vasilopita. The cake is cut at midnight and whoever gets the coin is said to have good luck in the New Year. The Greeks often adorn tables with symbols of happiness and wealth including nuts, honey, fresh fruit and olive branches. Dating back to the 6th century BC, some hang a squill (or regular) onion on their front door to ward off bad spirits.
- In Italy, many eat sausage, polenta and lentils. The New Year toast is usually with Prosecco or Spumante. Grapes, raisins, and dried fruit decorate the table. They often give one another sweet gifts such as figs and dates in honey. Some Italians break plates or glasses in their driveway to get rid of any negative vibes around the home. Not practiced as often anymore, some Italians throw old items out the window to represent letting go of the past.
- In France, friends and loved ones exchange New Year’s resolutions, wishes, and kisses. Foie gras, oysters, escargot and champagne are often served. Heart or log filled cakes are decorated with symbols that represent winter or good luck charms such as chocolate coins or bells. King’s cake (similar to the Vassilopita in Greece,) with a hidden coin or small ceramic figurine are served with a paper crown on top – the person who gets the filling gets to wear the crown for the day.
- In Ireland, families would place buttered bread outside the door to show that there was no hunger in the house and would ensure food for the year to come. This dates back to many years ago when there was a food shortage. Now the tradition has changed to eating bread and butter with the New Year’s meal. They also take a hard loaf of bread and bang the wall at midnight, a move that is thought to get rid of evil spirits.
- In Germany, it is said to bring good luck and health if you touch a chimney sweep or have him rub ashes on your forehead. Marzipan pig, sausages, sauerkraut, jam filled donuts called Berliner and Speckdicken (a pancake with sausage or bacon and syrup,) are usually on the New Years menu.
- In Latin countries such as Spain, Costa Rica and Chile, they eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight and make a wish for each. In Colombia, 12 shafts of wheat adorn the dining room table to ensure an abundance of food in the coming year. Lentils are served for good luck. Special New Year’s bread is baked with a coin placed in – the person who gets the coin should hold onto it for the entire year for good fortune. The first step after the stroke of midnight is made with the right foot. This is supposed to ensure good energy and making good decisions in the New Year. This time of year, many also have Bunuelos, which are similar to donut munchkins, but they are made with a cheese filling. Some also make bunuelos out of black-eyed peas on New Years’ for added luck. Also, in Columbia, on the last night of the year, they place 3 potatoes under the bed. One potato is peeled, one is half-peeled & one is completely peeled. At midnight, they pull out the first potato they touch. Peeled means they’ll have financial problems, unpeeled indicates abundance, and half peeled means financial ups & downs.
- In Denmark, cured pork, boiled cod, and stewed kale are served, as well as Kransekage or wreath cake, a special dessert that consists of rings of cake piled on top of one another, each getting smaller until they form a cone or x-mas tree shape. The cake is made with egg whites, almonds, and sugar. Many people stand on a chair and jump off at midnight – taking a leap of faith for a good new year.
- In Japan, they literally ring in the New year by ringing a bell 108 times. This has to do with the Buddhist belief that this will bring cleanliness. The Japanese also try to smile as much as possible on New Year’s Eve as it’s supposed to bring them good luck. A long, uncut noodle is slurped to ensure long life.
- 12 Lucky Fruits – in the Philippines, during New Year they prepare 12 sweet, round fruits – one to represent each month of the New Year. This is done to attract good luck and prosperity. The lucky fruits are Pineapple, orange, apple, grapes, banana, mango, lemon, watermelon, papaya, lychee, avocado & pomelo. Read more on New Year’s Lucky fruits.
The list goes on and on, with the same hopes of “out with the old and in with the new.” The traditions may be different, but the celebration and excitement of the new year are the same in many places around the world. Every group has special traditions that bring meaning to their new year celebrations. Do you have any special New Years’ Eve traditions and superstitions that you’ll be including in your celebration this year?
Want to travel in 2024?
I found two things you may want to try – one was to put your luggage outside your front door on New Years Eve and leave it there overnight.
The other which is done in Colombia was to walk with a packed suitcase or backpack around the block – both are said to ensure travel in the new year.
New Year’s Superstitions To Travel More
We wish you all a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2024!
Other Posts That May Interest you:
New Years Lucky Plants
New Years Lucky Flowers
New Years Lucky Scents
Perhaps I should try out the red underwear for this new years. That sounds like an interesting superstition.
At least if the red underwear is just superstition, if you get lucky you will look sexy hahaha… I’ll try the yellow one hahaha
Thanks for sharing all of these interesting things for luck. I am going to try the suitcase thing because I want to travel✈️ in 2017!
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I need to wear both yellow and red underwear. Lol and throw water
I was reading these and happen to notice I was wearing yellow panties 😉
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My husband was away for work (we have never spent a New Year apart for the last 18 years) and I cried as I spoke to him on the phone and the clock striked 12. Nonetheless, I cried a lot throughout 2018. I firmly believe in these superstitions.
[…] New Years Traditions and Superstitions – How do you celebrate New Year’s Eve? Does it involve champagne, watching the ball drop at Times Square, or watching fireworks? Do you make resolutions or prepare special foods? Are there rituals you observe for good luck in the new year?…. blog.atlastravelw… […]
[…] New Years Traditions and Superstitions – How do you celebrate New Year’s Eve? Does it involve champagne, watching the ball drop at Times Square, or watching fireworks? Do you make resolutions or prepare special foods? Are there rituals you observe for good luck in the new year?…. blog.atlastravelw… […]
Yes! I am always looking for new things/traditions to do with my family, and this was super helpful! I was reading more about what other countries do, and some of them are down right strange, but some are cool.What are your thoughts about it? I think I am packing my bad and taking a walk around the block on New Years.