Each country gives us different traditions and the end-of-year celebrations are the perfect setting to realize them. Here in Italy we eat lentils for good luck, but this custom, very common here, might perhaps appear strange in other parts of the world. In case you want to change your New Year’s routine a bit and use other rituals to have luck, prosperity and happiness in 2026, here is a list of bizarre and fun traditions that will help you receive them.
Celebrating in the cemetery in Chile
There are those who celebrate by dancing and there are those who prefer to go to the cemetery. In fact, in the Chilean city of Talca, the local inhabitants have the extravagant custom of going to the cemetery on the evening of December 31st to reunite with relatives who are no longer with them, to welcome the new year together.
The 108 bells of Japan
Joya no kane (除 夜 の 鐘) means year-end bell, and is a Japanese tradition that consists of ringing a bell at midnight 108 times. According to Buddhist philosophy, humans have 108 “defilements” or worldly desires that cloud our minds and often manifest in negative ways. To “renew” ourselves and start the year well it is necessary to get rid of all the bad.
Bear dancing and talking to animals in Romania
According to Romanians, New Year’s Eve is a good time to dress up as a bear and walk around the house dancing and scaring away evil spirits. Additionally, some people try to talk to animals to try to understand what they are saying. The most curious thing about this custom is that you have to fail in this effort, because if you manage to understand what the animal is saying, it is a sign of bad luck (and perhaps also a wake-up call because it would be time to go to a doctor).
A New Year’s Eve for travelers in Colombia
Attention travel lovers! Colombian New Year is for you. At midnight, Colombians who want to travel the world come running around the neighborhood carrying a suitcase to ask that the new year arrive full of travel. This ritual has also spread to other South American countries, after all there is no harm in trying, perhaps you won’t travel, but laughter and digestion are guaranteed.
The burning of dolls in South America
This is a deep-rooted tradition present in some South American countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. With old objects and clothes, the community prepares its human-sized doll, then burns it and with it eliminates the negative events of the past twelve months. Some insert letters into the puppet in which they tell the negative things they have experienced, others insert photographs to leave the past behind. However, instead of purifying, this bizarre ritual generates large quantities of carbon monoxide and other toxic gases, which is why some cities are starting to ban it.
Scottish fireballs
The Scots are also attracted to fire. The party Hogmanay in Stonehaven it is a real spectacle. With newspapers and old rags, the neighbors form balls 20 centimeters in diameter. When the bagpipes play, the balls are lit to burn the bad spirits and a festive parade begins with people swinging the fireballs.
Cheers with ashes in Russia
Every December 31st Russians make a wish, write it on a piece of paper and burn it. The collected ashes are then poured into the glass of champagne and we wait until midnight to drink them. Without a doubt, the most fiery toast of the year. Vashe zdorovie!
Throwing old things out the window, not just in Italy
The beginning of a new year for many means a new beginning in which there is no room for “useless” things. Thus in some places in southern Italy, it is believed that to get rid of what you no longer want, you should throw old objects out of the window. Even in South Africa, in the crowded center of Johannesburg, it was common to see old furniture falling from windows on the night of December 31st. An end-of-year ritual that has been disused for understandable safety reasons.
All round in the Philippines
To celebrate the New Year and invoke good luck, in the Philippines everything must be strictly circular in shape. The importance of everything being round also goes beyond the table: round fruits are presented and eaten, people give each other coins and wear polka-dotted clothing.
An egg under the bed in Central America
In some Central American countries it is customary to crack an egg and place it in a glass of water on December 31st. At midnight, based on the shape that the egg white and yolk take, you can observe a harbinger of what the following year will bring. From weddings to death itself, the important thing is that the egg does not sink, because this represents the worst omen.
Jump to wish a happy new year to Denmark and Brazil
To chase away evil spirits and attract good luck, Danes jump from a chair or piece of furniture at midnight. In Brazil, however, we do wave jumping: on December 31st we go to the beach and jump on twelve waves, making twelve wishes at the same time, one for each month.
Delicious and abundant New Year’s Eve in Estonia
Maybe not the most bizarre, but certainly the most delicious ritual. In Estonia, to ensure that their table is always full of food throughout the year, they eat between 7, 9 or 12 meals in a single day. In this way in the new year strength, abundance and health will always be present and work and bread will never be lacking.
Tell me the color of your underwear and I’ll tell you what it will be like next year
One of the most used rituals during New Year’s Eve in different parts of the world is wearing new underwear of a certain color. In Italy, for example, we use red to wish ourselves luck, but in some South American countries red is used for love, yellow for abundance and green for money. In El Salvador, however, you have to wear your underwear inside out during the last hours of the year and at midnight put it on correctly to ensure that your clothes will never be missing.
As you can see, there are many ways to say goodbye to 2021 and welcome the new year with open arms. If you don’t already do it, you could try putting some of these original ideas into practice, maybe they won’t work, but we would certainly start 2022 with joy and happiness.
