New Year’s Eve Traditions From Around the World

I wanted to collect as many New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world as I could in hopes to bring all the goodness in the year to come.

One of my favorite things about travel is learning about other’s cultures. What traditions and beliefs they have. How, what and why they celebrate. If is all so intriguing.

In my travels and connection to many people around the globe, I have found some pretty awesome and interesting ways to ring in the new year.

Check out this list of New Year’s Eve Traditions from around the world and see what you can adapt to your own night

Run around the block with the maletas (suitcases) if you want travel in the new year! Some say it is better to have it packed as if you were going to travel. (South America)

Go to the ocean and throw white flowers and candles as offerings in for blessings for the year. Make sure to jump over 7 waves, and make a wish on each at midnight (Brazil)

Smash dishware at friends and family doorsteps to bring them luck. (Denmark)

Stand on chairs and leap off (denmark)

Make sure the first person through the front door in the New Year should be a dark haired man. (Liverpool Irish)

Sweep out the front door for good luck (Scotland)

Leave a bucket of water behind the door and at midnight, throw it out in the street, to take everything bad out and start with the good.

Throw away old things that you don’t need anymore.(Italy)

Single women. Put an upside down image of St. Anthony in the freezer to find love or jump from a chair. (Venezuela)

Before midnight have someone go outside with a few key items like money, whisky, coal, salt etc that each represent something important like good luck, financial prosperity, good health, warmth etc. At midnight that person is the first foot into the house and comes in with everything bringing in good tidings for the year. (Scottish and Northern English tradition called First Footing)

Do all your laundry, take out the trash, and clean the house before midnight so you will not transfer old year’s dirt to the new year´s. (Russia)

FOOD

Eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight and make 12 wishes for each month of the new year. (Latin America)

Have grapes on the table to eat (Romania)

Hang onions on the doors to bring in prosperity in the new year. (Greek)

Eating lentils for money and prosperity (Italy, Venezuela)

Put dry lentils in your pockets so you’ll always have money in the new year (Colombia)

Money Matters

Stuff money in your bra or pockets for prosperity (Venezuela)

Count money while the year changes at midnight to bring more money in the new year (Iran)

Put bills under the rug before midnight for prosperity (Eastern European)

Clothes

Wear white for peace and good luck. (Brazil)

Wear new clothes: -so you can look good when you enter the new year. The idea is that you’ll continue looking good through the year. (Colombia) -so you leave all old things behind & new beginnings.(Iranian tradition)

Wear a new pair of socks so you’ll be in good health throughout the year.

Wearing anything with stripes or polka dots for wealth. (Phillipines)

The Underwear Debate:

There are many cultures that wear a specific color of underwear for different reasons, primarily Latin America. Yellow or red seem to be the main colors. Based on what I have seen: many Italians luck and success in the new year.

In Latin America it varies. Many South Americans wear yellow undies for luck or prosperity and red for love. wear underwear of a specific color for a specific

To wrap it up…

I literally could go on and on with traditions from around the world but I wanted to make a simple lost for this year. Maybe next year I will discover and share more.

Not all of these are universal to every country. Sometimes it is specific to a region or community but everything listed is something I have learned along the way from family, friends or international groups I am part of.

So take a look at all these New Year’s Eve Traditions from around the world and see if any of them fit for you. Which ones will you add to your NYE plans? I am going with the grapes! In the past, we have wore the yellow underwear and ran around with suitcases and will likely try to do that too.

I would love to hear your traditions! Please share and who knows, maybe we can adopt those!

No matter how you celebrate your New Year’s Eve, have a safe and wonderful Eve and Happy New Year!