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Dec 29, 2009 · Throughout time, cultures around the globe have linked New Year’s Day activities with the destiny of the upcoming year. Let’s dive into some intriguing New Year’s superstitions, age-old beliefs, folklore, and charming food traditions that have stood the test of time. New Year’s Folklore and Fascinating Beliefs 1) Midnight Smooch
- Make Some Noise. Making a lot of noise and light—from fireworks to gun shots to church bells—seems to be a favorite New Year’s pastime across the globe.
- Eat Lucky Food. Many New Year’s traditions involve food. Here are a few: In Spain, people attempt to eat 12 grapes during these 12 strokes of midnight! Tradition says that if they succeed before the chimes stop, they will have good luck for all 12 months of the coming year.
- Have a Drink. Although the pop of a champagne cork signals the arrival of the New Year around the world, some countries have their own beverage-based traditions.
- Give a Gift. New Year’s Day was once the time to swap presents. Gifts of gilded nuts or coins marked the start of the new year in Rome. Eggs, the symbol of fertility, were exchanged by the Persians.
- Spain: Eating Grapes For Good Luck. In Spain, locals will eat exactly 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to honor a tradition that started in the late 19th century.
- Scotland: First Footing. In Scotland, the day before Jan. 1 is so important that there's even an official name for it: Hogmanay. On this day, the Scottish observe many traditions, but easily one of their most famous is first footing.
- The Netherlands: Chowing Down On. The reasoning behind this Dutch New Year's Eve celebration is odd, to say the least. Ancient Germanic tribes would eat pieces of deep-fried dough during the Yule so that when Germanic goddess Perchta, better known as Perchta the Belly Slitter, tried to cut their stomachs open and fill them with trash (a punishment for those who hadn't sufficiently partaken in yuletide cheer), the fat from the dough would cause her sword to slide right off.
- Russia: Planting Underwater Trees. For the past 25 years or so, it has been a Russian holiday tradition for two divers, aptly named Father Frost and the Ice Maiden, to venture into a frozen Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake, and take a New Year Tree—typically a decorated spruce—more than 100 feet below the surface.
Dec 28, 2023 · Eat 12 Grapes. Get your bowl of grapes ready to welcome the new year. Common in Spain, this tradition involves waiting for the stroke of midnight, then eating one grape for each clock chime. The ...
- Eating Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
- Breaking Glass
- Drinking Champagne
- Thinking Happy Thoughts and Avoiding Crying
- Using Fireworks and Noisemakers
- Kissing at Midnight
- Doing Weird Things with Money
Black-eyed peas and collard greens are among the most common foods consumed on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. It is thought that eating this dish will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. The collard greens represent money, and the black-eyed peas symbolize good luck, so eat up!
In many parts of the world, it is thought that breaking anything on New Year's Eve or Day could bring bad luck in the year to come. In Denmark, however, breaking glasses and other dinnerware on NYE is a longstanding tradition. Each year, people go to their friends' houses on New Year's Eve and throw glasses and dinnerware at their external walls. I...
Champagne is consumed during a variety of special occasions, but at New Year's Eve celebrations, it has become an absolute staple. But where did this tradition come from? Many pagan festivities, including celebrations of the new year, were traditionally observed with the consumption of wine. About 1,500 years ago, champagne accidentally came onto t...
Some think that it is not advisable to cry on New Year's Day. It is said that doing so signifies impending unhappiness in the coming year. Those who abide by this superstition are encouraged to think happy thoughts on January 1st and attempt to remain in an upbeat mood throughout the day. It is said that if you do this, happiness will follow you th...
Fireworks have become a part of many holiday celebrations, and New Year's Eve is no exception. Many people try to make as much noise as possible at the stroke of midnight to scare away evil spirits from the previous year. People around the globe light off fireworks and sound off noisemakers at midnight, and some continue to sing and listen to music...
Most people are aware of the tradition of sharing a kiss with someone at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, but few know why this is done. It is said that if you kiss someone during the first minute of the new year, you will not be lonely that year. In England and Germany, it is thought that the first person you interact with during the new ...
Bills:Some believe that you should not pay any bills on January 1st, as this will pave the path for you to be paying out money all year long. Loans and Gifts: Some believe that giving out gifts or lending money on January 1st could set the tone for a year full of lost money and people demanding too much from you. This coincides with the superstitio...
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Dec 26, 2018 · Although it is a relatively young tradition (it started in 1895), it has become a must for everyone in the country. Eating the 12 grapes at the same pace means you will have prosperity in the ...
Apr 1, 2020 · Carter, Wibke. “12 Weird New Year’s Eve Traditions Around the World.” Fodor’s Travel. 25 December 2017. Fodors.com. Farley, David. “Unusual and Wacky New Year’s Eve Traditions Around the World.” Newsweek. 19 December 2019. Newsweek.com. Johnson, Ben. “The History of Hogmanay.” The History and Heritage Accommodation Guide ...
