The history of celebrating the new year goes back to Babylonian times. However, how we celebrate this auspicious date has changed and evolved over the past 4000-odd years, with celebrations differing from country to country, and from continent to continent. Let’s take a look at some weird and wonderful ways to welcome new beginnings!

New Year’s traditions and quirks

Starting up north, the Danes force good luck for the coming year by jumping off a chair at the stroke of midnight to “leap into the new year” – forgetting to do that is thought to cause bad luck! They also like to get a bit destructive and smash dinnerware on the doorsteps of their friends and family for good luck! (Those who clean it all up later probably don’t feel all that lucky.)

In Norway, the kids do a kind of caroling/trick-or-treat mix, as they go from door to door singing songs for the new year and get rewarded with candy.

Basically, all countries bordering the North Sea and the Baltic celebrate the new year with a swim in the (very cold – BRRRR) sea to wash off the old year and start the new one fresh and invigorated.

Pigs for good luck!

Germany has many traditions for New Year’s Eve. For one, everyone tries to divine their future for the coming year by melting lead with a spoon and then pouring it into cold water – the resulting shape should then give some clue as to what the next 12 months might bring! Germans and Austrians see the pig as a lucky animal, symbolizing prosperity. They are often used as table decorations and come as chocolate or marzipan piglets – yummy! Other popular trinkets to give to friends and family are pigs (a sign of wealth), lucky pennies, horseshoes, toadstools, ladybugs, clovers, and chimney sweeps.

In upstate New York, special peppermint pigs are sold throughout the holiday season. Everyone gets to take their turn hitting it with a special candy-size hammer and eating a small piece of it for good fortune in the new year. It is recommended to only take a small piece as the peppermint is extra strong. At least everyone will start the new year with fresh breath!

And speaking about pigs: Hoppin’ John is a dish often served on New Year’s Day in the US. The dish is a delicious mix of black-eyed peas, pork, and rice, often served with collard greens. The pork pieces are meant to represent gold nuggets, and the greens symbolize banknotes.

A full belly for prosperity – someone’s got to do it!

Eating is generally a big part of New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world. In Japan, people will eat “long food”, i.e. noodles. In particular, the Japanese will prepare a meal made with buckwheat noodles, whereby the long noodles symbolize longevity, and the hearty buckwheat plant represents resilience.

In many cultures, fish dishes are prepared for New Year’s Eve as well, as fish only swim in one direction: forward!

In several countries, eating round foods symbolizes prosperity, much like eating Hoppin’ John in the American South, as the shape resembles coins. In Spain, it is customary to eat 12 grapes, one for each stroke of the clock at midnight, symbolizing good luck and prosperity for the 12 months of the year. In the Philippines, families prepare a variety of 12 round fruits like oranges, melons, and grapes as a centerpiece to attract good fortune. Rather than eating them all at midnight, the fruits serve as a symbolic offering, with some enjoying a small piece as part of the celebration.

In Turkey, pomegranates are symbols of abundance. Eating them is super healthy, too – but those who really want a good 2025 will smash the fruit on their doorstep at midnight on New Year’s Eve instead!

In Greece, New Year’s dessert isn’t just a treat – it’s a game of chance! Guests eat vasilopita, or a cake or sweet bread that has a coin baked into it. (Mind your teeth!) The lucky person finding the coin will have good luck for the next year! In Scandinavian countries, they do something similar with rice pudding, which is a dessert for either New Year’s Eve or Christmas. One portion will have a peeled almond in it, and whoever finds it in their bowl is assured of luck in the new year and might even win a prize.

It’s not all about food either

Despite being food-related, this one doesn’t involve filling one’s belly. The Irish bang Christmas bread on the walls of their homes at midnight. This practice is supposed to chase evil spirits out of the house so that the family can start the new year with a clean slate.

Many Latin American countries have New Year’s Eve traditions that have nothing to do with food (probably why so many Miss Universe hail from that continent 😉). In Puerto Rico, people throw a bucket of water out the window at midnight to ward off evil. (That could be an unwelcome surprise for revelers at street level!)

They also feel that the color of underwear worn on New Year’s Eve will influence your fate in the coming 12 months. Yellow is for luck, red invites love, and white undies bring peace. (Just so long as they’re clean and free of holes!)

Here’s our favorite

Our favorite tradition is certainly a quirky one from Colombia: people take empty suitcases or backpacks and run around the block with them as fast as they can. It’s supposed to guarantee a year filled with travel and adventure.

With so many fun and strange traditions to choose from, you can really make New Year’s Eve special for your family and friends. On the other hand, you might just clink a glass of champagne with your better half and watch the fireworks out the window, enjoying each other’s company.

Whatever you choose to do, we here at Eurotext AG wish you a wonderful end of the year, as well as success, prosperity, and happiness for 2025.

 



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