Welcoming the New Year is always accompanied by our hopes for better luck, health and more prosperity.
Across the globe, people observe a range of rituals to start the New Year off on the best possible foot.
From outfit choices to quirky food-related traditions, here are 14 New Year rituals from around the world – many of which you can try yourself!
Eat 12 Grapes
A Spanish New Year ritual that has been widely posted about on social media, the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight – one grape for each stroke of midnight – is thought to usher in good luck for the next year. Make sure to finish all the grapes before 12 chimes of the clock to welcome good fortune.
Jump over waves
Brazilians commonly spend New Year’s at the beach and when the clock strikes 12, people rush toward the ocean and jump over exactly seven waves. In this ritual, they make one wish with each wave to to the goddess (orixá) Iemanjá for the upcoming year.
Toss out the old
In some parts of Italy and South Africa, people welcome the new year by throwing out old items in a symbolic move of making room for the new. An easily doable ritual, we can partake by spending the last hour of the year tossing out small things like old receipts or expired items in the pantry.
Wear polka dots
Got a polka-dot dress or shirt lying around? Make that your NYE outfit and you’d be following a New Year ritual in the Philippines. It’s thought that the coin-like print will help attract financial prosperity in the new year.
Water toss
Puerto Rico’s tradition of tossing a bucket of water out the window at midnight is thought to wash away the stagnant energies of the old year. You can make this more ritual more convenient by using a glass of water instead and pouring it down the sink or you can simply take a long shower right after midnight. In all cases, the water washes away the old to prepare us for a new beginning.
Open doors and windows
Just before midnight, open the doors and windows of your house – even for a very short amount of time. This simple ritual is meant to symbolise letting the old year out and allowing the new year in.
Pomegranate smash
Another fruit-centred New Year ritual involves smashing a pomegranate to bring in good fortune in the upcoming year. A tradition in Greek culture, people take turns smashing a pomegranate – often thought to represent fertility and abundance – until there are 13 pieces, one for each month of the New Year plus an extra for good luck.
Leap into the New Year
A fun Danish tradition involves everyone climbing – to a short height – on a chair or sofa just before midnight and when the clock strikes 12, you jump down to the floor. In this ritual, the jump is meant to symbolise leaping into the New Year while leaving behind the stress and bad energies of the previous year.
Empty suitcase stroll
Hoping to manifest travels and adventures in the New Year? A Latin ritual of taking a stroll – around your neighbourhood or even just your room – with an empty suitcase is thought to manifest new experiences, spontaneity and excitement in the new year.
Potato prediction
In Colombia, the tradition for predicting our financial luck for the year is based on potatoes. People place a peeled, unpeeled and a half-peeled potato under the bed with everyone picking one without looking. While the unpeeled potato symbolises wealth, the peeled one warns of financial struggles and the half-peeled indicates a year of both wealth and struggles.
Wear white
Another Brazilian tradition involves dressing up in white on New Year’s Eve. A colour that represents peace, purity and new beginnings, wearing white is thought to usher in a prosper year.
First Footer
A New Year tradition in Scotland considers the first person to cross your doorstep after midnight – the First Footer – as someone who brings luck to the household in the upcoming year. One interest aspect of this ritual is that you can be your first footer. Simply step outside for a minute after midnight, walk back into your house carrying a small token like a coin for wealth.
Drizzle honey
A tradition that dates back to the Roman times, it’s believed that including a bit of honey in your New Year menu will ensure sweetness for the rest of the year.
Watch the sunrise
In Japan people believe that watching the first sunrise of the year is very auspicious. The ritual based on the belief that the New Year gods appear at this time and observers will be blessed with good fortune in the coming year.
Will you be trying any of these New Year rituals? Share with us on X and Instagram. For more lifestyle and culture content, visit Lyrical Muse.
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