Good Luck Traditions for the New Year
Countries around the world have their own customs for ringing in the New Year and to usher in good luck. Given all of the events that happened over 2020, it may be worth a shot to give all of them a try!
United States
Throughout the United States, especially in the south, families will be cooking black-eyed peas and greens for the first meal to be eaten in the new year. The legumes represent prosperity and luck, and the greens symbolize wealth. Some take the superstition a step further and eat exactly 12 black-eyed peas to honor each month of the new year.
Spain
One Spanish New Year custom is to race to consume 12 grapes as the clock tolls 12 times at midnight. The superstition is said to ward off evil and bring in prosperity and good luck for the coming 12 months.
Turkey
On New Year’s Eve in Turkey, celebrants smash a pomegranate on their front doorstep. Like most New Year traditions, the practice is said to welcome prosperity in the new year.
Denmark
Most people think of Greece when they think of the smashing of dinner plates, but the Danes like to destroy serving ware too. They smash their plates on the front doorsteps of their friends and neighbors as the clocks strike midnight on New Year’s eve. According to lore, the more smashed plates you find at your door, the better your luck will be in the coming year.
Brazil
Brazilians make good use of their famous beaches by jumping over seven waves as midnight strikes on New Year’s Eve. Superstition dictates that the jumper must face the waves head-on, and with each jump, make a wish. It is also a Brazilian tradition to wear white on New Year’s Eve.
Panama
Panama has an interesting and involved New Year’s Eve ritual. Effigies, or muñecos, are constructed in advance and then set alight at midnight. Some effigies may look like scarecrows, while others are life-like straw figures meant to resemble famous people. The muñecos are filled with firecrackers, which are lit at midnight. While they are aflame, the figures are beaten in a symbolic effort to destroy the evil spirits that inhabited the old year. This is said to make space in the new year for good fortune.
Watch the YouTube video. Below is a clip documenting the tradition of burning muñecos in Panama.
Philippines
Filipino tradition includes the wearing of polka dots on New Year’s Eve and the consumption of round food items. Round objects resemble coins and therefore act as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Some Filipinos will also execute a high jump at midnight in an attempt to grow taller in the new year.
Russia
Russians get the award for the most challenging tradition to complete. For the new year, deep-sea divers cut a hole in the ice covering Siberia’s Lake Baikal and dive to the bottom in order to plant a tree.
Columbia
After a year in which many of us were essentially home-bound, we may all want to test out the charming Columbian New Year’s Eve tradition of walking around the block carrying an empty suitcase. Superstition says that this act will usher in a new year filled with travel.
Take a Cup o’ Kindness Yet
Whatever other New Year traditions you choose to follow, it is likely that you will join the rest of the English-speaking world in a rendition of Auld Lang Syne, the traditional Scottish folk song that has become the holiday’s official tune. Its lyrics reveal an ode to life-long friendships, and singing them is a festive way to ring in 2021 with the hope that we all see more of our friends and families in the coming year.
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Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/happy-new-year-new-year-s-day-1063797/
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