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With New Year’s Eve always comes a moment of reflection. We look back on the failures, challenges, and victories we went through in the outgoing year as we look forward to and anticipate what’s coming next. It’s no wonder there are plenty of New Year’s Eve traditions. We sure love marking the end of one year and the beginning of another with a lot of ceremonies.
Every December 31, people ring in the new year with a variety of traditions, from giving your house a thorough cleaning to sharing a kiss with a loved one at the stroke of midnight. These traditions are designed to bring luck and good fortune in the year ahead.
As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, people around the world will celebrate the start of 2025 with unique traditions. We have rounded up some of the ways different countries ring in the new year.
Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop
A tradition that’s been going on since 1907, this is one of the most famous ways to count down to the last few seconds until the new year. Millions of Americans gather around their television sets or on the streets of Times Square to watch the ball drop at the stroke of midnight each year.
Photo source: Instagram / onetimessquarenyc
Eating 12 Grapes at Midnight in Spain
This tradition, popularized in the early 1900s, is known as “Las doce uvas de la suerte,” or “The twelve grapes of luck.” It is believed that if you eat one grape in time with each chime of the clock at midnight, then you will be rewarded with good fortune, prosperity, and happiness in the coming year. Each of the 12 grapes represents a month of the new year.
Smashing Plates and Jumping off Chairs in Denmark
Imagine stepping out of your front door and finding a pile of smashed plates. You might be a bit confused. But that’s exactly how the people of Denmark usher in the new year. They throw old plates and glasses against the doors of their family and friends to banish bad spirits. This tradition is believed to bring your loved ones the best of luck.
Another way they mark New Year’s Eve is by standing on chairs and jumping off them at midnight to ‘leap’ into January in hopes of good luck.
Photo source: worldkings.org
Hanging an Onion Outside the Door in Greece
As part of their New Year’s traditions, Greeks hang onions outside their house, balcony, or anywhere visible. The onions are hung, and infused with various symbols like coins, bread, honey, and olives, representing prosperity, food, and success. It’s believed that hanging an onion, or “kremmida” on your door on New Year’s Eve is a symbol of rebirth in the coming year.
Serving 12 Round Fruits in the Philippines
It is a yearly tradition for Filipinos to buy 12 different round fruits like apples, grapes, and plums for New Year because it’s believed that roundness symbolizes prosperity. As for the lucky number, each fruit represents one month out of the year.
Eating up to 12 Meals in Estonia
A unique Estonian New Year’s tradition involves eating seven, nine, or twelve meals. With each meal consumed, it is believed that the person gains the strength of that many men the following year. You don’t eat the entire meal, as part of the meal is left unfinished for the spirits or ancestors who visit the house on New Year’s Eve.
Placing Three Potatoes Under the Bed, Carrying Empty Suitcase in Colombia
On New Year’s Eve, Colombian households have a tradition, called agüero, of placing three potatoes under their beds; one that is fully peeled, one that is not peeled, and one that is half-peeled. At midnight each person grabs one with eyes closed, and each has a different meaning. A peeled potato means financial struggles in the new year, an unpeeled potato signifies abundance, and a half-peeled potato means an average year, financially.
People also carry empty suitcases with them and run around the block as quickly as they can to try to have a new year full of travel.
Throwing Out the Old in South Africa
As the clock approaches midnight on New Year’s Eve, people Johannesburg in South Africa like to start afresh without any unwanted items. It is tradition for residents to party hard by throwing old appliances and equipment out of the window, literally representing the adage ‘out with the old and in with the new.’
Cross Over Services, Countdown, and Fireworks in Nigeria
For many Nigerians, the transition to the new year is marked by religious services. Churches hold special watch night services that extend into the early hours of January 1. As the clock strikes midnight, congregants celebrate with songs and prayers of gratitude for the year that has passed and for the one coming.
Another New Year’s Eve tradition is the throwing of the Banger and other fireworks. There is also the Lagos countdown and other parties and carnivals.
Photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Banging Bread Against the Walls in Ireland
When the clock strikes 12 on the 31st of December, those seeking to ward off evil spirits and make way for a healthy and prosperous New Year bang loaves of Christmas bread against the walls and doors throughout the home. This tradition also invites good spirits in, meaning that the home is protected for the next year.
Eating Soba Noodles and Bell Rings in Japan
People in Japan kick off the New Year by eating a warm bowl of soba noodles. This tradition dates back to the Kamakura period and is tied to a Buddhist temple giving out noodles to the poor. It is believed eating them symbolizes a literal break away from the old year.
Another tradition in Japan is the ringing of bells to start the New Year. The bells are rung 108 times on New Year’s Eve. This is because, in Buddhism, it is believed that there are 108 types of earthly desires, and each strike of the bell will remove one desire. The tradition is called Joya no Kane. “Jo” means “to throw away the old and move on to the new” and “Ya” means “night,” according to Japan Today.
These traditions from around the world, ranging from smashing plates to serving 12 rounded fruits are a pointer that though the celebrations may differ, the human desire for renewal and hope remains a universal constant. There is a common theme of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new with hope and aspirations for a brighter future.
So whether you’re eating grapes, attending cross-over services, or watching fireworks, remember: the beauty of the New Year lies in the stories we carry and the ones we create.
