Ringing in a New Year

With New Year around the corner, you can feel the excitement in the air. Before deciding on how you are celebrating this day why not look at how different countries celebrate New Year all over the world. Who knows? Maybe you’ll adopt one of these ways!

New Year’s Day is the most celebrated holiday all over the world; Image source: Greenglobetravel

Did you know that New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar, is the most widely celebrated holiday around the globe? Even if it’s the most celebrated doesn't necessarily mean everyone celebrates it in the same way. So pack your imaginary bags as we travel around the globe enjoying the various New Year traditions.

We begin our journey from the land of rabbits, the beautiful country of Spain. When the clock strikes twelve on New Years Day you better have twelve grapes with you. The Spanish eat 12 grapes at midnight, each grape representing good luck for one month. In cities like Barcelona and Madrid people come together in main squares to eat the grapes together and drink cava, a sparkling wine that you often see on New Years greeting cards.

Spain isn’t the only country that believes in eating grapes for good luck. Many Spanish speaking nations like Columbia also follow this tradition. Even Asian country Philippines display twelve round fruits at their dining table eat them at midnight. The Philippines insist on round fruits because the round shape is auspicious for them as it resembles coins representing money. If you ever visit the Philippines near New Year you better pack some polka dots!

It’s much easier to celebrate New Year in Columbia. All you need to do is empty your entire suitcase and walk around with it in the streets. In Columbia people carry empty suitcases on New Year in hopes they get to travel a lot in the coming year. What fun adventurous people!

Driving off evil spirits is important in many cultures. In Denmark, people throw plates and glasses at the doors of friends and families to banish bad spirits and luck. If you are in Denmark you better not open your doors if you hear a banging. They also jump from their beds to leap into good luck filled January. Now, if you are into something a bit more hot and dangerous to drive off evil, do visit Panama for they burn effigies of politicians or TV characters as a sign of burning away the old supposed bad luck and venture into a fresh start.

If you think you are a shopaholic then Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Venezuela is for you. It’s not your traditional shopping for gifts and sweets for they buy special underwear for luck. They believe that wearing red underwear on New Year will bring love into their lives and wearing yellow would bring money. One might wonder what happens if you wear half red and half yellow underwear!

New Year’s Day in the US particularly in New York are pretty much well known for their amazing fireworks in Times Square, they are often the basic definition of New year celebrations. Millions of people gather around the square waiting for the ball to drop. Fireworks is more or less picked up by major cities all around the world, Sydney, Australia definitely tops the list for fireworks.

Travelling through so many spaces, it’s time to return back to India. Well, India particularly doesn't have any fixed traditions but there’s nothing like home. Sitting back while changing channels and enjoying your food is a good way to start a New Year in any part of the world.

No matter where you are at the moment and how you celebrate it, we wish you a very happy and safe New Year!