THE UNIQUE TRADITIONS TO CELEBRATE NEW YEAR AROUND THE WORLD

  • Tuesday, 11:35 Day 31/12/2019
  • #New_Year is a very important event that people from different countries have unique traditions to celebrate it


    After going through 365 hard-working days in 2019, it would be great if we can celebrate the New Year with your loved ones and pray for the best lucks in 2020

    Why don't you celebrate this important holiday in #another_country with your family and friends in response to the completely different and exciting New Year atmosphere

    Please refer to 10 #UNIQUE national traditions to welcome the new year in many countries and contact #VTL to book tours or air tickets with the super promoted price!

    WEARING COLORFUL UNDERWEAR” TRADITION
    In Latin American countries like Mexico, Bolivia, and Brazil, the tradition of "wearing underwear with colorful colors” in the New Year has a special meaning for each color.

    For example, red underwear brings a sense of romantic love, yellow will bring a lot of luck and success, white symbolizes peace and harmony, while green gives meaningful messages for the users 

    In Italy people also follow this tradition. According to Italians, red underwear symbolizes love and fertility. Therefore, young men and women often wear red underwear on New Year's Eve.
    And in Argentina, if men and women wear pink underwear will bring romance and sweetness in love

    “FORTUNE TELLING BY SPOON” TRADITION

    Do you want to know what your future will be like? In Germany, the strange New Year's custom of burning candles melted a small piece of pencil on a spoon

    After the lead is completely melted, pour the solution into cold water. The new shapes of lead blocks in cold water will carry different meanings for the new year

    For example, if this lead is shaped like a ball, your "luck" will "roll out" off the road, while the crown shape will symbolize wealth. And the star shape, of course, will bring a lot of luck. And if the shape of a cross, the "unwanted" ominousness will come.

    “BREAKING THE DISHES” TRADITION

    The Danish people have a unique New Year's tradition of "breaking the dishes" to bring good luck. Specifically, on New Year's Eve, they throw plates in front of a friend's or neighbor's house 

    If there are many broken pieces in front of a house in the morning, the more friends and lucky the owner will have in the new year. Today, this tradition become less common, but anyway it is quite interesting.

    Another tradition in this country is jumping off the chair at New Year's Eve, which symbolizes the "leap forward" in the new year 

    “BURNING THE HUMAN-LIKE MANNEQUINS/ DOLLS” TRADITION

    Though it may have been only in horror movies, the tradition of burning mannequins or humanoid dolls was a common practice at the beginning of the New Year of Columbian and Ecuadorians 

    People made humanoid dolls or humanoid dolls identical to those they "disliked" or died in the past year, and then burned on New Year's Eve to ward off evil spirits in the new year 

    This tradition expresses the desire to shake off the unhappiness of the past year and welcome the New Year optimistically

    “RINGING THE BELL 108 TIMES” TRADITION

    Japanese people ring the bell exactly 108 times at the beginning of the year to pray for good luck

    This tradition is called the joyanokane bell-ringing ceremony, held at Japanese Buddhist temples. When the bell rings, all the sins or bad things of the old year will "disappear"

    Meanwhile, at New Year's time, the Japanese eat toshikoshi soba to wish for a long and prosperous life

    HANGING SHALLOTS ON THE DOOR” TRADITION

    In Greece, people usually hang shallots or the onion’s string on the window to pray for the new year rebirth. Shallots have the ability to continue growing leaves even when being uprooted

    By hanging shallots in front of the door, it is believed that their resilience and luck will be transferred to them

    On the morning of January 1, according to tradition, parents used shallots to lightly hit the heads of children to wake them up before going to the church

    “CELEBRATING NEW YEAR AT THE CEMETERY” TRADITION
    In Talca city, Chile, people follow the strange tradition is welcoming the first day of the new year at the graves of relatives in the cemetery
    This new year tradition began in 1995 when a family jumped over the fence of the cemetery to welcome the new year with their deceased father
    Later, the tradition spread in the Talca community, so every New Year's Eve, people gather at the cemetery to celebrate Tet with their deceased loved ones

    “THROWING OBJECTS ON THE STREET” TRADITION 
    If you are celebrating the New Year in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, beware of being hit by "the flying objects"
    This is a tradition of South African on New Year. On New Year's Eve, they carry damaged objects in the house such as chairs, tables or old objects to throw into the street to dispel the unfortunate things in old year and welcome the luck in the new year
    This tradition is also found in the city of Naples (Naples, Italy). To avoid fatal cases, people mainly choose small items to throw on the road

    “EATING GRAPES FOLLOWING THE BELL RING” TRADITION
    In Spain, it is a common tradition to eat 12 grapes to symbolize 12 months of the new year, to pray for good luck and prosperity

    It sounds easy, but this is not an easy challenge. People have to eat each grape corresponding to each bell ring and before the final bell points, the 12 grapes must pass through the throat, otherwise, in the new year things will not go smoothly

    The usual way is to bite the grapes in half, chew quickly and swallow, then enjoy a glass of champagne

    The tradition of eating 12 grapes dating back to 1909, it was invented by the Alicante farmers to sell more grapes after the harvest period

    “JUMPING INTO THE ICY LAKE” TRADITION”

    People in many countries, including Canada and the Netherlands have a very unique New Year's tradition called "Polar bear diving”, in which you have to jump into an icy river, lake or pond nearby. You can wear clothes or not base on your preference. And the more your jumping time closer to New Year's Eve, the better luck you will have

    This tradition is also found in Siberia, Russia. People believe welcoming the new year means overcoming challenges, and proving that you are always full of energy. To welcome the new year, men will dive into a freezing lake with a tree branch

    You may think they are 'crazy', but that's how people pray for good luck in the new year 

    Collected and designed by Ngoc Thanh (VTL).

    Please kindly cite us as a reference when sharing this article with other channels.

     

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