The New Year In The World: The Most Curious Traditions
New Year’s traditions around the world remind us that every beginning is sacrosanct and eternal. Our ancestors already celebrated it, since ancient times. From the Sumerians to the Saturnalia of Rome, passing through the Christian Christmas, the new year in the world has always brought with it a promise of prosperity.
Each country celebrates it in its own way according to local customs. In the following lines we describe some of them. Do you know them?
Some traditions to celebrate the new year in the world
Spain: Eating the 12 egg grains is a good omen
The New Year in Spain is celebrated as a family with a hearty dinner, drinks and the most important ritual: eating twelve auspicious grapes.
Some eat them at home while watching the tolling clock in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on television. Others pour into the squares, and then there are those who prefer to eat them with their loved ones.
It is thought that this tradition is linked to the abundance of vineyards in the country which at the beginning of the twentieth century led to the spread of this custom in all Spanish homes.
Greece: play and hang an onion
The New Year of the Greeks is associated with various rituals related to the game (of cards and dice), because it is thought that winning is a good omen for the year to come. It is also common to serve bread with basil; a loaf contains a coin, whoever finds it will have a lucky year.
The Greeks also have a habit of hanging an onion on the front door to attract prosperity and rebirth for the new year. Alternatively, a pomegranate; then a member of the family will throw it to break it because the seeds scattered everywhere will be a good omen.
Japan: special dishes in traditional washoku
The Japanese prepare several ornamental delicacies to welcome the gods of the coming year. During the traditional meal (or washoku ) natural and local ingredients are eaten, such as rice, fish, vegetables and edible wild plants, which then act as peculiar dishes.
New year in the world: melting horseshoes in Finland
A few minutes after the start of the new year, the Finns melt horseshoes in a special cauldron. The liquid obtained is poured (carefully!) Into a bucket of cold water. According to the shape that the metal will take once it has cooled, the coming year will be decreed.
Denmark: jump on a chair and break the dishes
The Danes know a lot about the curious traditions to welcome the new year. At midnight, dishes are thrown at the front door of friends and relatives. If possible, the full service, since the quantity of fragments is proportional to the luck we wish others. Before midnight, however, you have to jump on a chair to wish yourself good luck.
Russia: it is grandfather Frost who brings the gifts
On the night of December 31, grandfather Frost (in Russian, Ded Moroz ) visits all the houses with his granddaughter Snegurochka , the snow girl. From an ancient and small town in the north-east of Russia he sets off to travel across this vast country and while waiting, the Russians are preparing themselves with various activities.
The variety of dishes is important because it is a symbol of abundance ; in fact, tradition has it that the following year reflects the way it was received.
New year in the world: walking with a suitcase in Colombia
In Colombia you go out for a walk with a suitcase, so as to plan future trips. The suitcase must be full, as if you were really about to embark on the journey. In some places outdoors, in the middle of hugs, a doll is burned at midnight, a symbol of the old year.
This country, however, has also been influenced by European customs. For example, the tradition of eating the twelve grapes derives from Spain, while from Italy that of eating lentils to have wealth.
Christmas Island: the first to welcome the New Year
To the north-west of Australia, right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there is an archipelago that is home to about 5,000 inhabitants. Right there, on this coral island that welcomes wild nature, the new year arrives sooner than anywhere else in the world. How do the inhabitants celebrate it? With fireworks, parties and masses in the villages.
The new year in the world: Argentina sets the old year on fire
As in many Latin American cities, even in Argentina, burning the old year is a purifying rite in which the entire community takes part. For the puppet to be effective and ensure prosperity, it must be loaded with symbols and colors. And it will have to burn for a long time and then explode loudly.
Cape Town celebrates the second New Year
The inhabitants of Cape Town on January 2 celebrate the so-called Tweede Nuwe Jaar , or the “second New Year”. They commemorate the celebrations that were granted to their ancestors in slavery only at the conclusion of the celebrations of their lords.
And in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, old or disused furniture and objects are thrown into the street as a rite of purification and to attract prosperity.
The new year in the world: in India as many goodbyes as there are great cultures
The end of the year is not just a date on the calendar: it has cultural, religious and geographical connotations. In India, for example, there are different traditions to welcome the new year. In Bengal it is celebrated on April 15, the first day of the Bengali lunar calendar.
And also during the second week of April, the malabri new year – known as vishu – takes place in Kerala. For the occasion, the inhabitants consume the traditional sadya, served on a plane tree leaf. Elephants are dressed up and local temples are bathed in the aroma of incense.
But the most extended is the diwali new year, in the month of November. The victory of light over darkness is celebrated with candles and lanterns that adorn the fascinating Hindu lands.
The winter solstice makes New Year traditions different around the world
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice begins on December 21st. The Christmas and New Year celebrations are marked by this event which in different cultures represents the period of rebirth and renewal.
Countries and regions under the influence of the solstice celebrate the end of the year in similar ways: with fireworks, Christmas trees, streets full of decorations and gifts.
Other regions and cultures, on the other hand, come together during the spring equinox, between March 20 and 21, and the autumn equinox, between September 21 and 22. In the celebrations for the end of the year, so different, the seasons meet and contrast.
