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New Year's Traditions Around the World

Holidays
New Year's Traditions Around the World
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Did you know? While many celebrate the Gregorian New Year on January 1st, the Ethiopian New Year, known as Enkutatash, is celebrated in September to mark the end of the rainy season. elaborate

Fact 1 of 29

29 facts about New Year's Traditions Around the World

  1. 1
    In Chile, some people spend New Year's night sleeping in a cemetery to feel closer to their deceased loved ones as they welcome the new beginning.
  2. 2
    In the Philippines, it is tradition to wear polka-dot patterned clothing because the round shape is believed to attract money and prosperity.
  3. 3
    In Brazil, people wear white clothing on New Year's Eve to symbolize peace and renewal for the year ahead.
  4. 4
    While many celebrate the Gregorian New Year on January 1st, the Ethiopian New Year, known as Enkutatash, is celebrated in September to mark the end of the rainy season.
  5. 5
    In Estonia, people try to eat seven, nine, or twelve meals on New Year's Eve, as these are considered lucky numbers and symbolize abundance for the year.
  6. 6
    In Colombia, residents who hope to travel in the coming year carry an empty suitcase around the block as soon as the clock strikes twelve.
  7. 7
    Many people mistakenly believe that the ball drop in Times Square is a centuries-old tradition, but it actually only dates back to 1907.
  8. 8
    In Spain, it is tradition to eat exactly twelve grapes at midnight, one for every chime of the clock, to bring good luck for each month of the coming year.
  9. 9
    In Ecuador, people build life-sized scarecrows of famous characters and burn them at midnight to symbolize the destruction of the bad events from the past year.
  10. 10
    In parts of Ireland, some people hit the bread against the walls of their house to ward off evil spirits and ensure there is plenty of food for the year.
  11. 11
    In Wales, people used to engage in the tradition of Calennig, where children would go door-to-door to ask for gifts and perform songs.
  12. 12
    In Thailand, the Songkran festival involves huge, city-wide water fights to wash away bad luck.
  13. 13
    It is a common misconception that all New Year celebrations are based on solar cycles, but many cultures rely on complex lunar phases to determine the exact start date.
  14. 14
    In Argentina, people shred old documents and calendars to toss out the window like confetti to symbolize leaving the past behind.
  15. 15
    In Scotland, the tradition of First-Footing dictates that the first person to cross the threshold of your home after midnight should be a tall, dark-haired man bearing gifts.
  16. 16
    In Bolivia, people bake coins into their pastries; whoever finds the coin is said to have good luck in the coming year.
  17. 17
    Many believe the song Auld Lang Syne is about the New Year, but it is actually a Scottish poem about remembering old friends and times past.
  18. 18
    In Puerto Rico, some people throw buckets of water out their windows to drive away evil spirits.
  19. 19
    In Chile, some families spend the night of New Year's Eve at the local cemetery so they can sit with their departed loved ones.
  20. 20
    In Japan, Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight to cleanse the world of 108 worldly desires or passions.
  21. 21
    Many assume the New Year always starts on January 1st globally, but the Lunar New Year, observed by billions, follows the lunisolar calendar and changes dates every year.
  22. 22
    In Brazil, locals dress in all white to symbolize peace and purity for the year ahead.
  23. 23
    The tradition of eating black-eyed peas in the Southern United States is thought to bring good luck because the legumes resemble coins and swell when cooked.
  24. 24
    In the Philippines, circular shapes are believed to represent coins and prosperity, so many people wear polka-dot clothing and eat round fruits on New Year's Eve.
  25. 25
    In Colombia, residents carry empty suitcases around the block at midnight in the hopes that the upcoming year will be filled with travel.
  26. 26
    In Ecuador, people burn effigies of politicians or celebrities made of old clothes and paper to symbolically cleanse the bad energy of the past year.
  27. 27
    The tradition of kissing at midnight stems from English and German folklore, which suggests that the first person you encounter or interact with at the turn of the year sets the tone for your emotional connections throughout the coming twelve months.
  28. 28
    In Spain, the tradition of Las doce uvas de la suerte involves eating twelve grapes, one for each chime of the clock at midnight, to ensure prosperity for each month of the year.
  29. 29
    In Denmark, it is a tradition to jump off chairs at the stroke of midnight to literally leap into the new year and bring good luck.
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