New Year Eve Superstitions From Around The World

This year was not at all what people had envisioned for 2020. In some aspects, however, the hours leading up to January 1, 2021, will be similar to all previous New Year’s Eve. Keep our fingers crossed as we look ahead with optimism, looking forward to a new beginning and better things to come.

Although we can’t guarantee that following these common New Year’s Eve and Day superstitions throughout the world will bring you luck—or money— it is worth a go. These superstitious traditions are all claimed to lead to good luck, from food to eat at midnight to donning red underwear for more passion. And to that, we’ll raise a glass! Put on festive party music in the hours leading up to the countdown, pop some champagne if you’re so inclined, and see how many of these you can score.

Carry An Empty Suitcase Around In Latin America

In many Latin Countries, New Year’s enthusiasts with a case of sense of adventure would place an empty suitcase by the front entrance (or even drag it around a room in circles or around the block) to bring in a year full of adventure and travels.

If this works, the travel bug would never die out.

Collard Greens With Black Eyed Peas

If you’ve lived in the South, you’re probably aware that what you dine on New Year’s Day is essential. Many people south of the Mason-Dixon line think green foods bring more money, and peas symbolize success. So load up on collards and black-eyed peas, as both are said to bring prosperity your way.

Put On Red Underwear

While romance is color blind, some traditions say otherwise. Are you on the lookout for love in the New Year? Consider donning a red pair of underwear. The belief, which is thought to have originated in Latin America, claims that wearing the undergarment will result in passionate partnerships.

At Midnight, Eat 12 Grapes

Although most Americans relate New Year’s Eve with little appetizers and champagne, in Spain, eating 12 grapes at midnight is a custom (of course, Cava wine follows). It’s said that if you eat your 12 grapes (one for each month of the year) first before the clock hits 12:01, you’ll have lots of luck, according to an 1880s rite.

Get Your Love Life Predicted By A Rooster

Single ladies seeking long-term love in Belarus form a circle, each with its pile of corn in front of them. A rooster is positioned in the midst of the circle, and the woman whose grain stack it pecks first is thought to be the first of the group to marry.

Sweeping The Right Way

The Chinese New Year (the “Spring Festival”) coincides with the lunar-solar calendar’s change. It isn’t officially observed until late January or early February. However, the day is distinguished by countless customs and superstitions, much as it is in many Western countries.

Cleaning your house from top to bottom as a way to usher out the previous year is a good-luck custom. People sweep the house inward, gather the dirt, and throw it out the back door rather than the front entrance to guarantee that the good luck doesn’t be pushed out with the bad. This is done to prevent clearing away any lingering fortune; homemakers cannot clean their homes for the first two days of the New Year.

Throw Broken Dishes

The majority of people throw broken plates in the trash; however, they are disposed of in a much more inventive manner in Denmark. They preserve them and throw the pieces at their friends and family’s houses on New Year’s Eve as a good fortune gesture. (There’s no news on whether they’ll help clean up afterward.) Instead, Danes (and Germans) with less aggressive personas, simply weaker throwing arms—can leave a pile of broken china on doorsteps.

Tossing Old Furniture Out Of The Window

In Johannesburg, South Africa’s Hillbrow suburb, local residents throw old furniture through their windows or off their balconies. This act is thought to represent letting go of the old and welcoming the potential of a new year. Unfortunately, people have been wounded due to this behavior, and the police have been called in, so consider twice before following suit.

At Midnight, Kiss Someone

According to legend, your love will last a year if you kiss someone who gives you butterflies when the clock strikes twelve. Since everybody makes a huge fuss about it every year, we think you’re already pretty familiar with this belief. However, it appears that the midnight kiss is more than just an occasion to kiss.

Soba At Midnight

In Japan, buckwheat soba noodles are traditionally eaten at midnight since these long, slim noodles represent fortune and longevity. Make sure you don’t lend any money to your friends.

People believe that lending money on New Year’s Eve is a foreshadowing of what the rest of the year will be like. So, if you don’t want to give your friends money throughout the year, wait until January 2 to lend them a few dollars.

When the clock strikes twelve, eat king cake. Enjoying king cake, a delectable doughnut-like confection, is popular in New Orleans (or in France, known as ‘Galette des Rois’). It denotes satisfaction with the end of the Christmas season and readiness for the New Year.

Suppose you’re lucky enough to be handed a slice with a gold coin (or, in some circumstances, a little plastic baby) hidden in the batter. In that case, your new year will be highly prosperous. In other terms, eating this cake may bring you good fortune. Make it happen.

Avoid Lobster And Chicken At All Costs

As wonderful as lobster and chicken are, eating them on January 1 may affect your luck in the coming year. As chickens have wings, it’s thought that eating them will make your luck fly away, and because lobsters walk backward, eating them will keep you from walking backward. Sticking to a vegetarian dinner isn’t a bad idea, just in case.