NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

Welcome to 2023! We hope that this year you can have abundant blessing and happiness throughout the year. Speaking of the new year, some of you may celebrate the new year with your family, friends, and even your partner. Most people celebrate the new year to commemorate the moments before entering the new year, but indeed everyone celebrates the new year in their own way. Some countries have their celebrations during the new year based on their beliefs or situations, so how do people worldwide celebrate the new year?

Starting with Greece where they celebrate the new year by hanging an onion on the front door of their homes. People in Greece hang onions on the front door of their homes as it symbolizes fertility and growth. Usually, people hang onions after church on New Year’s Day. Not only adults, but children also take part in the celebration as their parents often tap their children’s head with an onion when they wake up on New Year’s Day.

The next one is the Philippines where people always display round objects such as fruits. People in the Philippines will decorate and put round objects like fruit on their tables as it symbolizes prosperity. Other round objects such as coins will also be displayed either by hanging or putting it on the table. Some families even serve 12 round fruits such as apples or grapes as the number 12 is a lucky number which represents the total month of a year. 

Moving to Scandinavia, precisely in Denmark, people like to throw old plates and glass at their neighbours’ and friends’ houses. People in other countries will think that throwing plates to your neighbour signals a problem is happening between both of you. But in Denmark, throwing old plates and glasses to another person will give good luck to them and lure bad spirits away. People in Denmark often jump off the chair with their friends to hope wonderful things will happen to them.

In Spain, it is a must to eat 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve, each time every strike of the clock. The tradition has started from the 19th century to banish evil spirits. The las doce uvas de la suerte tradition is also believed to give prosperity and good luck to those who eat 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve, one at each stroke at midnight. Some believe that the magic will work if you do it correctly, by eating all of the grapes within seconds before reaching the New Year. In some big cities such as Barcelona or Madrid, people will gather on the street and eat grapes together.

Even though each country celebrates the new year with unique things, you don’t have to celebrate like them if you want to. There are many other things you can do such as spending time with your family or lighting up fireworks to cheer up your new year celebration. What about you? If you don’t celebrate the new year, try to celebrate the new year with someone to make the moments memorable.

Reference:

World Strides. (2016, 12). 9 New Year’s Traditions From Cultures Around The World. worldstrides.com. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://worldstrides.com/blog/2016/12/9-new-years-traditions-cultures-around-world/ 

Oré, M. (2021, December 31). 15 New Year’s Day Traditions From Around the World. Glamour. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.glamour.com/story/new-years-eve-day-traditions