New Year's Traditions Around the World

My grandparents live within walking distance of my house. I visit them and stay for a meal almost every weekend. Usually, they will call or text me to let me know what they are having, especially if it's something that I like a lot. Near the end of winter break, my grandmother told me that I wouldn't be able to come for lunch on the Sunday before New Year's Day, as they would be making a pork roast cooked with sauerkraut since that is what her family used to have on New Year's Day. The next time I went there for a meal, I inquired whether or not her family had any other New Year's traditions. She told me of two: everyone would wash their money in water, then wash that water across their face to try and bring them wealth. She also said that they would tell them to behave very well on that day, because it would set a precedent for the entire year (though she stated that was more just a way of parents making their kids behave).

This inspired my curiosity towards the New Year's traditions that various cultures and countries have, and seeing how differently the holiday is celebrated. I've read several articles on the subject, and wanted to share some of my most interesting findings here in this article.

To start, watching "the ball" drop to the ground in Times Square is something unique to the US. "The ball" has been made of different materials over the years, and obviously wasn't broadcast to the entire nation prior to television becoming widespread, but this has been an event for over a century now, dating back to when it signaled the year becoming 1908. The ball has been lowered every year since then, with the two exceptions being 1942 and 1943, in which the ceremony was suspended to conserve money and energy for World War II.

Wishing others a happy new year is custom pretty much everywhere, and generally the case for any widely-celebrated holiday in a country. However, in Belgium farmers will wake up early on New Year's Day to visit their animals, and make sure to wish every single one a happy new year. This is done for luck, in order to bring them a good farming year.

Germany has several notable New Year's traditions, such as melting a piece of tin or wax on a spoon over a candle. This metal is to be poured into cold water, and the shape that the metal takes will supposedly tell you what will happen to you in the upcoming year. Another tradition is watching a British comedy sketch which is always aired on New Year's Eve in Germany, titled "Dinner for One", or sometimes, "The 90th Birthday". The premise is that a woman is turning 90 and wants to celebrate her birthday with her friends, who are no longer alive. Her butler pretends to be her friends and as the meal goes on, he drinks from each of the glasses, becoming increasingly intoxicated. This sketch is also part of New Year's traditions in several other countries, including but not limited to Sweden, Denmark, and Austria.

New Year's Eve is one of the largest celebrations in Brazil. On that day, nearly everyone wears white, maybe only partially, but many wear an entirely white outfit, including their underwear. Actually, the color of a person's underwear is possibly the most important part of their outfit on this holiday, with different colors bringing different fortunes for the entire year. To name a few, white means peace, blue means harmony, and pink means love. At midnight, people tend to follow the tradition of jumping seven waves at a beach, originally done for seven divine spirits of two Afro-Brazillian religions, Candomblé and Umbanda.

I find these traditions upheld in each country to be fascinating, and there are, of course, many more that I haven't explored. Be sure to look up the traditions of other countries, as I'm sure nearly every country you can think of has some interesting traditions to be found.