11 Ways to Make Your New Year Lucky With These Traditions from Around the World

Eat Grapes

In Spain, they eat one grape for each chime of the clock at midnight, all in the name of 12 lucky months ahead.

In the Philippines, they follow a similar tradition. Some will also eat 12 grapes at midnight, but anything round is said to bring good luck for the New Year. This is because the circular shape is meant to represent coins and invite prosperity. Some will create centerpieces made of round fruits to adorn their tables, while others dress in polka dots.

Smash Something

In Denmark, revelers smash unused plates on their doorstep for good luck, while in Johannesburg, people throw furniture out the windows to signify their new start. Think of it as a very literal interpretation of “out with the old, in with the new.” 

Read the Signs

In Finland, as a way to predict the future, people cast molten tin in water and wait for the metal to harden. Once a shape is formed, they look for the signs. A heart might mean love, while the shape of a ship might mean travel. It’s like reading tea leaves for the hardcore.

Get Dressed Up

In Romania, people dress as bears—protectors and healers of Romanian lore. While in costume, they dance to scare away the evil spirits, ensuring a happy and healthy future.

Ring the Bells

In Japan, they ring bells 107 times at the close of the old year and once after midnight, to start the new year. This is a part of the Japanese ritual of purification and renewal known as the “Joya no Kane.” As a representation of the cleansing of 108 worldly passions, the 108 rings are said to purify participants and listeners, ensuring a clean slate for the coming year.

Light a fire

In Panama and Ecuador, effigies of well-known characters and politicians, called muñecos, are burnt as a symbol of the old year.

Similarly, the Scottish celebration of Hogmanay incorporates bonfires and what might be the best way to enact social distancing during this year’s celebrations. People swing giant fireballs on poles as symbols of the sun, also meant to purify the coming year. As a bonus for 2020, this sounds like a foolproof way to ensure 6 feet of distance.

Unfortunately, the other Scottish staple of Hogmanay is called  “first-footing,” and this might not work so well in a socially distant world. The goal is to be the first person to step foot in the homes of your loved ones, ideally with a gift.

Eat lentils

In Brazil, lentils are meant to represent money, so eating them at the start of the year brings hope of good fortune in the year ahead. 

Don your best undies

Elsewhere in Brazil, others insist that it’s not what’s in your belly but on your body—special underwear is a popular option in Brazil and throughout Central and South America. Red is said to bring love, while yellow is meant to bring prosperity.

Take a suitcase walk

Throughout South America, travel lovers will go on a “suitcase walk.” This involves literally walking around with an empty suitcase to signify the adventures ahead. Considering all the cancelled trips of 2020, this one is high on our list for this year.

Look to the onion

In what might be the worst way to wake up at the start of the New Year, parents in Greece tap their children on their heads with an onion—possibly the same one that was hanging on their front door the night before. This is because in Greece, the onion is seen as a symbol of rebirth.

Make a resolution

While New Year’s resolutions seem like a modern phenomenon born of the “new year, new you” mindset, they actually date all the way back to the Babylonians. But while the original resolutions were thought to keep believers in good standing with the gods, modern day resolutions persist around the world and cover everything from love to health to careers to education.