Different cultures celebrate the arrival of the New Year with unique customs. From smashing plates to wearing fortune-telling underwear, these traditions add color and excitement to the festivities. Check out the following 10 of the most unusual New Year’s Eve traditions observed across the globe as we ring into 2025:
1. Eating Grapes for Luck – Spain
In Spain, a popular New Year’s tradition involves eating 12 grapes, one for each chime of the clock as it strikes midnight. This practice, known as las doce uvas de la suerte (the 12 lucky grapes), is believed to bring good fortune. The taste of the grapes—sweet or sour—symbolizes the year ahead. This custom dates back to 1909 when a bountiful grape harvest inspired its origin.
2. Smashing Plates – Denmark
In Denmark, good luck for the New Year is linked to breaking plates. Danes save unused crockery throughout the year and throw it against the doors of friends and family on December 31st. The bigger the pile of broken pieces, the more luck and friendships you’ll have in the coming year. Traditional New Year’s meals include boiled cod and kransekage (marzipan donuts).
3. Burning Effigies – Ecuador
Ecuadorians welcome the New Year by building scarecrow-like effigies, known as año viejo. These effigies, representing political figures or celebrities, are stuffed with paper or sawdust and set on fire at midnight. The ritual is believed to cleanse past misfortunes and pave the way for a fresh start.
4. Fortune-Telling Underwear – Latin America
In Latin American countries like Mexico, Brazil, and Bolivia, the color of your underwear determines your fortune for the upcoming year. Red signifies love, yellow symbolizes wealth, and white represents peace and harmony. The choice of color reflects what the wearer hopes to attract in the New Year.
5. Mistletoe and Bread Ritual – Ireland
In Ireland, single women place mistletoe under their pillows on New Year’s Eve, hoping to attract love in the year ahead. Another Irish tradition involves banging bread against walls and doors to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.
6. Ringing Bells 108 Times – Japan
In Japan, the Buddhist tradition of Oshogatsu involves ringing temple bells 108 times at midnight. Each chime represents the dispelling of one of the 108 human desires or sins. The final bell, rung in the New Year, symbolizes purification and a fresh start.
7. Embracing Circles – Philippines
In the Philippines, circles symbolize wealth and prosperity. On New Year’s Eve, people surround themselves with round objects, such as coins and polka-dotted clothing, to attract financial success. Grapes are commonly eaten, and coins are jangled in pockets to ensure money flows in the coming year.
8. Throwing Furniture – Italy
In parts of Italy, particularly Naples, people toss old furniture from their balconies to signify leaving the past behind and embracing a fresh start. While this practice originally involved large items, today, many locals opt for smaller, softer objects to ensure safety. A similar tradition exists in Johannesburg, South Africa.
9. First-Footing – Scotland
In Scotland, the first-foot tradition dictates that the first person to enter a home after midnight should bring gifts such as coal, bread, salt, or whiskey to ensure good luck. Typically, a tall, dark-haired male is considered the ideal first-footer, while a blonde stranger was historically seen as a bad omen.
10. Carp Scales for Wealth – Germany
Germans enjoy Silvesterkarpfen (New Year’s carp) as part of their celebrations. A unique custom involves keeping a carp scale in one’s wallet throughout the year to attract good fortune and wealth. Removing the scale, however, is believed to take the luck away.
These diverse and quirky traditions showcase the fascinating ways people worldwide celebrate the New Year, blending fun, symbolism, and hope for the future.
