The New Year is upon us and we are celebrating the end of a tough year and the beginning of what will hopefully be better for all of us!
To celebrate 2022, we’ve created a list of the most unusual traditions for you to be inspired by!
So sit back, relax and let the bells chime as we enter this new beginning!
1. Eat grapes at midnight in Spain
By eating one grape every chime of the countdown for 12 counts, it was believed that you will have 12 months of happiness and good luck in the year to come! The tradition started in 1909 after a Spanish King decided to gift the remainders of a huge grape harvest to his people on New Years Eve! We love this one – does wine count too?
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2. Give an offering to the Goddess of the Sea in Brazil
Yemanja, the Goddess of the Sea is believed to grant wishes and every year, thousands of Brazilian’s send white flowers into the sea as an offering to her. Other offerings can include items like lipstick, a comb or jewellery, which are sent into the sea in a small wooden boat!
3. Break a plate in Denmark
This tradition is a smashing time! When it comes to the night of New Years Eve, it’s customary to throw and break plates upon your friend and neighbour’s door! Apparently, the more smashed dishes you find there in the morning makes for all the more luck and friendship you will have in the New Year!
4. Invite a handsome man bearing whiskey into your house in Scotland
In Scotland, it’s believed that in order to have the best luck possible, make sure the first person who steps foot into your home in 2022 is tall, dark and handsome! The old tradition of first-footing, says that the luckiest households have the most handsome men walk in and it’s an extra bonus if they come bringing whiskey!
5. Burn an effigy in Ecuador
As midnight approaches on New Years Eve, gather your family outside and set sire to a scarecrow. In Ecuador, it is believed to destroy all the bad things that took place over the past 12 months, and to scare away any negative energies, bringing only luck and happiness for the new year. Each family builds their own scarecrow, stuffing it with newspaper and pieces of wood, before burning it outside their homes.
6. Place mistletoe under your pillow in Ireland
In Ireland there is an old tradition of putting mistletoe under a pillow to attract love in the New Year! It was said that by putting the leaves of mistletoe under your pillow on New Years Eve, you would attract marriage. A sprig of holly, ivy or mistletoe was said to do the trick!
7. Celebrate at a cemetery in Chile
In Chile, families like to be reunited with their deceased love ones on New Years Eve and every year around five thousand people head to the local cemetery. This first started fifteen years ago in a small town of Talca when a family jumped the cemetery fence to spend the night with their deceased father. Now every year people flock there with ambient dim lights and classical music, where they believe their deceased relatives await them.
8. Throw your furniture from your window in Italy
Toss your old possessions out of the window to symbolise your readiness to accept the new year and all that comes with it. In Naples people have been known to throw items ranging from old toasters to retired fridges from their balconies. Tossing potentially harmful belongings probably isn’t the wisest idea, and is unlikely to bring you much luck, so keep to small, soft items. If you plan on walking around after midnight be sure to keep an eye out for falling objects.
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9. Wear Polka dots in the Phillipeans
Dress in polka dots to guarantee wealth in the coming year. In the Philippines roundness is thought to signify prosperity, so on New Year’s Eve locals surround themselves with round shapes, by wearing polka dots, filling their pockets with coins or by eating circular fruits. Stock up on oranges and dress up in dots if wealth is your new year wish.
10. 108 Rings in Japan
If you head to Japan on New Year’s Eve and you’ll hear the sound of 108 bells echoing through the streets. This Buddhist tradition is believed to banish human sins, bringing good luck to all. As well as this, residents also believe it’s good luck to enter the New Year smiling or laughing!
11. Wearing coloured underwear in South America
According to the tradition, the colour of your underwear on New Years Eve will decide the vibe of your New Year and what you will attract! In South America it’s said that you should wear red underwear for love, yellow for wealth and white for peace!
Do you have any strange or unusual New Years Eve traditions? Chat about it on our discussion boards!
