CATALYST PLANET - 10 New Year’s Traditions Around the World

Welcoming the new year is a universal concept shared by many countries and cultures around the globe.

Every country has a special way of welcoming the upcoming year with unique traditions. Here are 10 ways countries celebrate the new year around the world.

1. Eating 12 grapes before midnight in Spain

Eating grapes in Spain on New Year’s Eve. Valero. CC2.0

New Year’s Eve is the most anticipated part of New Year’s festivities in Spain. As the clock strikes midnight, Spaniards eat 12 grapes, each grape representing good luck in the new year. The goal is to swallow all the grapes before the clock stops chiming to gain a year filled with good fortune. Families will often gather together for dinner, go to a public square with a clock to eat the grapes, and then continue partying into the early hours of the morning.

2. Wearing white and jumping through seven waves in Brazil

Fireworks at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Vondran. CC2.0

Wearing white on New Year’s Eve in Brazil represents harmony and peace. When the clock strikes midnight, Brazilians jump through seven waves while making a wish with each wave. The tradition comes from Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian religion containing a mix of African, Catholic, spiritist and Indigenous beliefs. The number seven is connected to the water goddess Lemanja, who is said to guide people through difficulties in the new year.

3. Burning monigotes in Ecuador

Monigote display in Cuenca, Ecuador. Ross. CC2.0

In Ecuador, large dolls called monigotes are burned during the day and night of New Year’s Eve. Symbolizing everything that either went right or wrong in the past year, the monigotes are stuffed with straw and explosives to be set on fire. Huge monigotes representing celebrities or politicians are burned in the streets of cities such as Guayaquil and Cuenca. Ecuadorians also write messages on a piece of paper to be burned with the monigote, which represents bad aspects of the past year that people hope to forget. Once the monigote begins to burn, it is customary to jump through the flame and over the ashes, a cleansing ritual dating back to ancient Andean cultural traditions.

4. Displaying round fruits in the Philippines

Getting ready for the new year in the Philippines. vickisee.com. CC2.0

Similar to the tradition of eating grapes in Spain, Filipinos display 12 types of round fruit on the dining table, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity for all 12 months of the year. It is also common to wear polka dots for the same reason. Interestingly, the symbolism dates back to the round shape of gold and silver coins. On New Year’s Eve, families have a “media noche,” a large meal to come together and celebrate the new year.

5. Drinking Champagne with ashes and planting underwater trees in Russia

Enjoying Champagne for New Year’s Eve. Radic. CC2.0

In the Soviet era, Christmas was removed from the calendar and New Year’s became the main holiday in Russia. At the stroke of midnight, it is customary to write a wish on a piece of paper, burn it, place the ashes in a Champagne glass, and then drink it. Another interesting tradition is for deep-sea divers to swim to the bottom of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, to plant a tree. The tradition was started by a local diving club and has lasted for over 40 years.

6. Enjoying a Fruitful New Year in Greece and Turkey

Pomegranates ready to be juiced in Istanbul. Boss Tweed. CC2.0

Pomegranates are widespread throughout Greece and Turkey. Traditionally representing prosperity and abundance, it is common to see pomegranates displayed in people’s homes during the winter. In some areas of Greece, it is a common sighting to see pomegranates hung above front doors for the 12 days of Christmas. At the stroke of midnight, families smash a pomegranate on their doorstep to wish for good fortune in the upcoming year. The more seeds that come out of the pomegranate, the more fruitful the year will be. In some villages, pomegranates are brought to churches or religious functions to be blessed before New Year’s Eve. Gifting pomegranates to friends and family also makes for a perfect holiday present.

7. Celebrating Tet Lunar New Year in Vietnam

Lunar New Year festivities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Wong. CC2.0

Tet Lunar New Year is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture and celebrates the spring equinox and the beginning of the lunar calendar. The festivities can fall anywhere between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 and last for one to two weeks. During Tet Lunar New Year, families cook traditional dishes such as banh chung (square rice cake) and banh day (traditional glutinous rice cake served with Vietnamese sausage), clean their homes, pay respect to their ancestors, visit neighbors with gifts, decorate peach and apricot trees with ornaments, and give lucky money to children. At midnight, fireworks go off in city centers while parades, performances and other fun activities provide extra enjoyment.

8. Banging bread on the walls in Ireland

In Ireland, it is customary to bang a loaf of Christmas bread on the doors and walls of one’s house to chase away bad luck and spirits. The hope is that this will invite new spirits and good luck to welcome the new year.

9. Celebrating Losar in Tibet

Losar is the most important festival on the Tibetan calendar and represents the struggle between good and evil. The last two days of the old year are called Gutor, when people clean their homes, perform religious ceremonies and make special dishes such as a soup with small dumplings called “guthuk.” Various ingredients are placed into dough balls and given to people. The ingredient inside the dough ball is said to tell something about your personality. For example, white ingredients inside are a positive sign, while chiles represent being talkative. On the first day of the new year, families have a prayer ceremony and get together to have a reunion dinner with a traditional cake called “kapse” and an alcoholic drink called “chang.” The second and third days of Losar are spent visiting relatives and local monasteries, respectively. On the third day, Tibetans hang new prayer flags and throw “tsampa,” a Tibetan staple, in the air to wish for happiness and prosperity.

10. Celebrating Nowruz in Iran and neighboring countries

A haftseen table setting for Nowruz. Dunlap. CC2.0

Nowruz, or the Persian New Year, celebrates the arrival of spring on March 20 or March 21 depending on the year. Meaning “New Day” in Farsi, Nowruz is one of humanity’s oldest holidays, dating back 5,000 years with Iranian and Zoroastrian origins. Nowruz is celebrated across a wide swath of the world, including in Iran, neighboring regions of Asia, much of the Black Sea basin, and areas home to the Iranian diaspora. Each of the four Tuesdays before Nowruz represents a different element, the first being Water Tuesday, then fire, Earth and wind the following weeks. On the day before Nowruz, the family gets together to feast on special dishes, such as smoked fish and herbed rice. The haftseen table setting, a relatively new addition to Nowruz festivities, consists of a table set with seven items each starting with the letter “seen” in Persian. Items include apples (representing beauty), garlic (good health), vinegar (patience), hyacinth (spring), sweet pudding (fertility), sprouts (rebirth) and coins (prosperity). Additional items that can be added on a haftseen table include a copy of the Quran, poetry books, painted eggs (representing fertility), a goldfish swimming in a bowl (life), and other kinds of sweets and fruits. Since the main concept behind Nowruz is having a fresh start to the year, activities such as spring cleaning, painting eggs, making new clothes and planting trees are all popular during this time. Celebrations end on the 13th day of Nowruz, since it is considered an unlucky number. On this day, families go outside and have a picnic, throwing the sprouts into flowing water to symbolize letting go of misfortunes in the new year.

From Tibet to Turkey, there are countless ways to celebrate the new year. As we put 2023 behind us and welcome 2024, consider learning more about some of these traditions to wish for extra luck.