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Here are some ways to spice up your holiday
Burn the old man
In Ecuador and Mexico, there is a tradition on New Year’s Eve to make a man-sized “scarecrow” with newspapers, dress it up and set it on fire at midnight. This scarecrow symbolizes all the bad things that should remain in the past year, and it is called el viejo (“grandfather”, “old man”) or año viejo (“old year”).
Sometimes “the old man” is made to look like a certain unpleasant person, such as a politician, a movie character, or an evil cartoon character. The burning is accompanied by music, songs and performances by a theater troupe, whose members include such heroes as the rejoicing widow of an annoying old man or the devil who came for him. And when the effigy burns down, the celebrants read his testament, which tells about the unpleasant events of the past year with humor.
After all, burning the “old man” to songs and dances, simultaneously laughing at the troubles of the outgoing year, is a good way to cheer yourself up.
Eat 12 grapes at midnight
Another funny custom, this time from the inhabitants of Spain and Latin America, is to swallow 12 green grapes while the New Year’s chimes strike. This ensures good luck for the next 12 months. According to food writer Jeff Koehler, this tradition was created in the 1880s by the Madrid bourgeoisie, inspired by the French custom of drinking sparkling wine with grapes on New Year’s Eve.
There are grapes that are much tastier and healthier than choking on champagne with ashes from a burnt napkin on which a wish was written. But keep in mind that to perform the ritual, you need to eat one grape with each stroke of the clock. So it should be prepared in advance.
Break a plate in front of a friend’s doorstep
The Danes on New Year’s Eve go to a neighbor’s house and break a plate or glass at his doorstep. He, oddly enough, is not angry at this act, but, on the contrary, considers it a manifestation of warm feelings.
The fact is that breaking dishes for the New Year in Denmark is considered a wish of good luck. And the more fragments you find at your door, the more people are nearby who wish you well. The origin of this tradition is unknown. It is most common in Denmark, but is also practiced in other European countries, such as Germany. Moreover, before the dishes were not thrown on the porch, but they were thrown right at the door – the stronger, the better. But over time, this practice was abandoned.
Hit the wall with baguette
Just before 12 o’clock strikes, the Irish hit a piece of bread against the wall of a house. It is believed that this will certainly drive out evil spirits, bad luck and other negative things from the dwelling. Naturally, the loaf should not be brought to complete destruction against the wall, because then it will still need to be eaten.
After cleansing the house from the forces of evil with a blow of a roll, the inhabitants of Ireland knock on the front door. So they welcome good spirits, good mood and good luck that will come to the vacant place.
Put on red underwear
The belief that the color of your underwear determines your fate in the coming year exists in many countries. For example, in Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil and Chile, it is believed that the red color of underwear worn on New Year’s Eve will bring love and romance.
In Turkey, they believe that red underwear attracts good luck. And in China, such outfits are worn for the New Year because, according to legend, the divine sage Hongjun Laozu scared the evil dragon Nian with his red underpants so that he would not spoil the holiday for people.
Wear polka dots
Filipinos believe that like attracts like, and therefore, round things that resemble coins attract money. Sounds plausible, doesn’t it? Therefore, on New Year’s Eve in the Philippines, people dress up in polka dots, eat oranges or any other round-shaped fruit, and fill their pockets with coins.
This guarantees wealth in the coming year. Put on a polka dot suit or dress and see if the Filipino ritual works. If yes, then you will become a little richer. If not, then at least you will stand out from the crowd at the New Year’s party.
Jump
In addition, at the time of the New Year, when midnight strikes, all Filipinos jump up and down. It is believed that this makes a person taller. Moreover, both children and adults jump.
Although, maybe “grow up” is just an excuse and the cunning Filipinos are actually trying to move the Earth out of orbit, who knows. In general, if you have complexes about growth, bouncing on New Year’s Eve can theoretically help. Or you just have fun fooling around with your friends.
Invite a brunette with charcoal and whiskey
In Scottish folklore, there is such a thing as quaaltagh, or qualtagh, which translates roughly as “the first leg.” This is the name of the person who is first met after the onset of the New Year, or the one who first enters the house after midnight. If he has dark hair, and as a gift he brought coins, coal, bread, salt and whiskey, then the coming year will be successful. It is recommended to warn familiar dark-haired men about this. Or visit your friends yourself – they will be surprised when you bring them coal.
Why blondes are not suitable for this ritual is not entirely clear. But there is an assumption that the tradition originated in those days when the Vikings periodically visited Scotland. There were slightly more blondes among them than among the Scots. It is logical that a smiling brunette with whiskey and a New Year’s treat brings joy, and a stern fair-haired man with an ax brings mostly trouble. In addition, the year may turn out to be unfortunate if the quaaltagh is a red-haired woman, because, as the Scots believed, such ladies bring misfortune.
Throw rubbish out of the house
Tidying up before the New Year and getting rid of garbage is a completely understandable tradition for us. But in some countries, cleaning the house is treated with excessive zeal. For example, in Italy it is considered good form on New Year’s Eve to throw out a few old frying pans from the window or throw out a bucket of water, symbolizing the bad energy of the past year. In South Africa (specifically, in Johannesburg), the tradition was adopted, bringing it literally to madness: not just plates and spoons fly out of the windows, but entire refrigerators and microwaves.
Of course, even here people are not desperate enough to throw away working equipment. Therefore, they store old TVs, ovens and sofas on the roofs of their houses in advance, buying them for next to nothing or finding them in landfills – for the sake of a beautiful custom. There are few pedestrians on the streets on New Year’s Eve in Johannesburg, so only police officers patrolling the street suffer from the ritual. And therefore, in order to stop dangerous entertainment, on New Year’s Eve, police helicopters fly around the city and look for hiding places with furniture and household appliances on the roofs of houses. You, too, can throw away something old and unnecessary. At the same time, clear the apartment. Only, please, not from the window – you are not in Johannesburg.
Try to eavesdrop on pets
In some European countries, such as Belgium and Romania, farmers – owners of farm animals try to look into their stables on New Year’s Eve. It is believed that at this time animals and birds acquire the ability to speak. Whoever heard the sounds of their speech will get good luck in the New Year. But the one who listened to the conversation to the end and sorted it out will face various troubles, so be careful. Some residents of Romania – the most desperate and not having their own living creatures – go to the forest on the night of January 1 to eavesdrop on wild animals: they can also predict the future. And wolves are generally capable of this not only on New Year’s Eve, but also on November 30, the feast of St. Andrew.
Perhaps this belief came from the legend that at Christmas the animals allegedly get the opportunity to speak in order to praise Christ. And in some countries, in the myth, Christmas night was replaced by New Year’s Eve. Spend time with your pets too. It is pleasant and good for peace of mind. But if you drink alcohol, be careful with your cat on New Year’s Eve. Remember: if it suddenly speaks to you, this does not bode well. We hope these fun customs will help you diversify the New Year celebration and bring something new to it.
Most importantly, throwing stuff out of the windows, jumping and breaking dishes, make sure that your neighbors do not mind. Otherwise, there is a risk that they will give you Takanakui.Takanakuy is another tradition, this time from the province of Chumbivilcas in Peru. This word in Quechua means “to beat everyone.” Takanakui is a fight with neighbors. It is believed that this helps to forgive each other old grievances and start the New Year with a clean slate. But this is just the custom that is best left in the past, so we do not recommend you to practice it.