New Year’s Traditions Around the World

Happy New Year!  Whether you watch the ball drop in Times Square or spend a quiet evening at home with the family, we each ring in the New Year in our own way.  Here are some fascinating ways that New Year’s is celebrated around the world:

Denmark:  In Denmark, broken glass is meant to bring good luck, so on New Year’s they smash their broken or unused china and drop it on a friend’s doorstep to bring them luck and fortune in the new year.  The bigger the heap of broken glass, the more popular you are! 

France:  In France, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with a feast, called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre.  It consists of traditional dishes like pancakes, foie gras and champagne. This special dinner is supposed to bring prosperity and good luck to the lives of all those attending the feast.

Spain:  In the last 12 seconds of the year, people in Spain eat 12 green grapes to ring in the new year.  It is thought that the 12 grapes will bring good fortune in the coming year – and is thought to bring bad luck if you can’t eat them all before the clock strikes midnight! 

The Philippines:  In the Philippines, you’ll find people celebrating the New Year with 12 round fruits, representing prosperity and wealth for each month in the coming year.  Apples, oranges, melons and grapes are popular – but as long as it’s round and a fruit it works!

Ireland:  In Ireland, the tradition is to bang bread against their house walls on New Year’s Eve.  This serves two purposes:  one, to chase away bad luck and evil spirits, and, two, to invite good luck into the house.  It also ensures that the New Year will be filled with an abundance of bread and other food. 

Greece:  An onion is traditionally hung on the front door of homes on New Year’s Eve in Greece as a symbol of rebirth in the New Year. On New Year’s Day, parents wake their children by tapping them on the head with the onion.

Scotland:  During Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration of Hogmanay, “first-footing” is practiced across the country. The first person who crosses a threshold of a home in the New Year should carry a gift for luck.

Colombia:  In hopes of a travel- and adventure-filled new year, residents of Colombia carry empty suitcases around the block at midnight.

If you are looking forward to a new year filled with travel and adventure, Luxury Destinations Concierge can help!  Give us a call at (805) 236-4437 to start planning your dream vacation today.

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