New Year's traditions from around the world

A journey through festive customs to start the new year

The New Year is a time of reflection, celebration, optimism and anticipation for what lies ahead. Across the globe, people mark this occasion with a mix of joyous festivities and unique rituals. Let’s take a journey to explore the fascinating and varied New Year’s traditions from around the world.

First we look at the common New Year’s traditions that bring people together worldwide. Then we share 15 fascinating rituals that are unique to specific cultures and regions, and showcase how different communities welcome the year ahead.

International New Year's traditions

Countdown to Midnight

The countdown to midnight is a quintessential New Year’s tradition observed worldwide. People gather with friends and family on New Year’s Eve, often watching the seconds tick down on clocks or televised events. Cheers, kisses, and toasts often follow the countdown and mark the official start of the new year.

Fireworks Displays

At the end of the countdown, fireworks light up the night skies in many parts of the world on New Year’s Eve. These colorful explosions celebrate the arrival of the New Year and are believed to ward off bad spirits and bring good luck. Iconic locations such as Sydney’s Harbour and New York’s Times Square host some of the most spectacular displays.

Making New Year’s Resolutions

Making New Year’s resolutions are a popular way to set goals for the coming year. Common resolutions include improving health, learning a new skill, spending more time with family and achieving financial or career milestones. This New Year’s tradition reflects the universal desire for a fresh start.

Festive Feasts

Food plays a central role in New Year’s celebrations. Many cultures prepare special dishes thought to bring luck or prosperity, such as lentils in Italy or black-eyed peas in the southern United States. Sharing a meal with loved ones brings people together and helps welcome the new year with warmth and positivity.

Having a toast

A New Year’s toast involves raising a glass and clinking glasses together at midnight to share good wishes and optimism for the year ahead. The drink itself is less important, but traditionally, champagne or sparkling wine is the most popular choice.

Singing “Auld Lang Syne”

This traditional Scottish song, written by Robert Burns, is often sung at New Year’s celebrations to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one. Its poignant lyrics remind people of the value of friendship and shared memories.

Unique New Year's traditions around the world

From quirky superstitions to elaborate celebrations, the unique ways people welcome the New Year reflect their culture, history, and values. These traditions often carry deep symbolism and are filled with hopes for good fortune, health, and happiness. Here are some fascinating practices from around the globe.

1. The Twelve Grapes of Good Luck

Spain

In Spain, it’s customary to eat 12 grapes for good luck at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Each grape represents one month of the coming year, and the ritual involves eating one grape each time the bell strikes. This tradition, known as “las doce uvas de la suerte,” is often accompanied by cheering crowds and the chimes of clock towers.

2. Jumping Over Waves

Brazil

In coastal areas of Brazil, many people celebrate the New Year by wearing white, walking into the ocean at midnight and jumping over seven waves for good luck. For each wave, you can make one wish for the coming year, and Brazilians believe that the ritual brings blessings and positive energy.

This tradition is connected to the sea goddess Lemanjá who grants strength and protection to overcome challenges in the coming year.

3. Smashing Plates

Denmark

The Danish have a smashing good time welcoming the New Year by breaking plates against the doors of friends and neighbours. Danes believe that the more broken dishes you find outside your door, the more friends and good luck you’ll have in the coming year.

4. Ringing Temple Bells

Japan

“Joya no Kane” is the traditional bell-ringing ceremony held at Buddhist temples across Japan. Buddhist temples start before midnight and ring their bells 108 times, with the final bell sounding at midnight to mark the start of the New Year.

This custom symbolises the purification of the 108 worldly sins or desires from the heart and mind, offering a path to spiritual renewal and a tranquil start to the New Year.

5. Walking with Suitcases

Colombia

In Colombia, those who love to travel walk around their block or neighborhood with an empty suitcase at midnight. This tradition symbolises the hope for exciting travel experiences in the upcoming year. This lighthearted tradition is often shared with family and friends, turning the walk into a joyous activity that celebrates the New Year and the spirit of adventure together.

6. First-Footing

Scotland

In Scotland, the tradition of “first-footing” involves being the first person to enter a friend’s or neighbour’s house after midnight. The idea is that the ‘right’ first-footer brings good luck and prosperity to the household for the coming year. This person often brings symbolic gifts like coal, whisky, or shortbread to represent prosperity, warm and good cheer.

7. Hanging Onions

Greece

In Greece, many households hang onions outside their doors as a sign of growth and fertility in the New Year. This tradition stems from the onion’s natural ability to sprout even when removed from the soil, representing resilience and the potential for new beginnings.

8. Round Objects for Prosperity

Philippines

In the Philippines, round shapes are thought to symbolise wealth, harmony and the endless cycle of life. Many families display twelve round fruits on the table for the New Year’s Eve dinner to represent good fortunes in each month of the following year.

The prosperity linked to circular objects also involves wearing polka-dotted clothing on New Year’s Eve to reflect the hopes for financial abundance and good luck in the New Year.

9. Throwing Out Furniture

South Africa

In certain neighbourhoods of Johannesburg, South Africa, some people celebrate the New Year by throwing old furniture out of their windows. This tradition symbolises getting rid of the old to make way for a fresh start in the New Year. So, if you’re out celebrating, it’s a good idea to stay alert and watch where you walk!

10. Burning Effigies

Ecuador

In Ecuador, people create effigies called “año viejos” (old years) that represent the misfortunes of the past year. These effigies often resemble political figures, celebrities, or fictional characters that they dislike. At midnight, they are burned to symbolically leave the past behind and to a generate a fresh start in the New Year.

11. Wearing Red Underwear

Italy

In Italy, wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is believed to bring love, luck, and fertility in the coming year. The color red represents passion, vitality, and good fortune, and many people consider it a fun and essential part of their New Year’s celebrations.

12. Water Fights

Thailand

In Thailand, New Year is celebrated during Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year. Songkran is on 13 April every year and the holiday extends to 15 April. One of the most exciting aspects of this event involves massive water fights in the streets. Spraying water is a symbolic act of washing away the past and starting anew.

13. Sprinkling Salt

Turkey

In Turkey, sprinkling salt on the doorstep as the clock strikes midnight is a common tradition. This custom symbolises the purification of the home and the warding off of negative energy. It is believed to invite peace, prosperity, and good luck to the household in the coming year.

14. Takanakuy Fighting Festival

Peru

In certain Peruvian villages, New Year’s celebrations feature “Takanakuy”, a unique festival where individuals resolve disputes through friendly fistfights. Participants often wear colourful costumes and masks and step into a makeshift ring. Once the fights conclude, they shake hands or hug, symbolising forgiveness and reconciliation. This practice reflects a communal desire to foster unity and harmony in the New Year.

15. Bleigießen (Lead Pouring)

Germany

In Germany, people practise “Bleigießen”, a fortune-telling tradition, on New Year’s Eve. This involves melting small pieces of lead on a spoon over a candle or flame and then quickly pouring it into cold water. Friends and family analyse the shapes to predict events or fortunes for the coming year, with many kits including a guide to interpret the meaning of each shape.

Though lead has been replaced by safer materials, like tin or wax, this custom remains a popular activity during New Year’s celebrations across Germany.

What are your New Year's traditions?

New Year’s traditions around the world highlight the diversity of cultures and the universal desire to welcome the future with hope and joy. Exploring these traditions reminds us of the shared human spirit that unites us in celebration, no matter where we are in the world.

With so many fascinating rituals around the globe, each offering its own perspective on welcoming the New Year, the choice becomes an adventure in itself. If you had the chance to experience one of these unique traditions, where would you go, and which custom would you like to try?

Do you want to improve your English skills for work and travel? You can add this to your New Year’s resolutions too! If you would like to learn English online with one of our qualified trainers, then please get in touch and we are happy to help.

Best wishes for the New Year from EnglishRadar.