August M
Around the world, ringing in the New Year can mean broken plates, colorful underwear, or 108 bells at midnight. Here are 8 of the most unusual traditions to bring in luck, love, and wealth.
Introduction
Around the world, ringing in the New Year comes with more than fireworks and champagne. From smashing plates to eating grapes, many countries have quirky and symbolic traditions believed to bring luck, love, wealth, and even protection from evil.
Let’s take a look at eight of the most unusual ways people celebrate New Year’s Eve around the world. This list is based on information from a Travel.Earth article.
Spain – Eating 12 lucky grapes
In Spain, people eat 12 grapes at midnight — one for each stroke of the clock. The idea is that if you manage to eat all of them before the final chime, you’ll be lucky all year long.
Sweet grapes predict a sweet year ahead, while sour ones hint at tougher times. This tradition dates back to a bumper grape harvest in 1909.
Denmark – Smashing plates for luck
The Danes welcome the New Year by smashing plates on their friends’ and neighbours’ doorsteps.
The bigger the pile of broken dishes, the more good luck and close friends you’re believed to have. Families even save unused plates all year just for this night. The chaos ends with a meal of boiled cod and marzipan cake.
Ecuador – Burning “año viejo” effigies
In Ecuador, people build life-sized scarecrow-like figures of unpopular politicians, celebrities, or other public figures from the year — called “año viejo.” These are stuffed with old clothes and paper, then burned at midnight to symbolically cleanse the past and start fresh.
Latin America – Colourful underwear for fortune
In many Latin American countries like Mexico and Brazil, what you wear under your outfit matters most. Red underwear is believed to bring love, yellow brings wealth, and white promises peace and harmony.
People choose their colours based on what they hope the new year will bring.
Ireland – Bread and mistletoe rituals
In Ireland, single women place mistletoe under their pillows to dream of future love. Some also burn the mistletoe the next day for good luck.
Another old tradition involves banging loaves of bread against walls and doors to drive out evil spirits and bad luck from the home.
Japan – Ringing away the year’s sins
In Japan, Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight. This practice is called “Joya no Kane” and it symbolizes cleansing the 108 earthly desires believed to cause suffering.
The last ring happens just as the New Year begins, marking a fresh, purified start.
Italy – Tossing out the old
In cities like Naples, Italians throw old items — sometimes even furniture — out of their windows to make space for the new.
It’s symbolic of letting go of the past. These days, people usually toss soft or small objects, but it’s still smart to stay alert while walking around on New Year’s Eve!
Start fresh, in your own way
Whether it’s grapes, bells, underwear, or broken plates, New Year’s Eve traditions are all about hope, renewal, and starting the year off right.
No matter how you celebrate, each custom carries a deeper meaning — and a wish for something better. Happy New Year, wherever you are!
