Every year, we are all extremely excited about the New Year because it is considered to be a special time of the year. People all around the world bid goodbye to the previous year and wholeheartedly welcome the new year with a new ray of hope and light. Different nations across the world celebrate the new year according to their respective cultures and traditions. Let us have a look at how different countries across the globe celebrate the new year.
India: Celebrations across the country
In India, people from different parts of the country along with their friends, families and relatives have a get-together and welcome the new year with grand parties in hotels, restaurants etc. Crackers are used to mark the celebration on the night of the new year.
Japan: Eating Soba Noodles
People in Japan usually kick start the beginning of the new year by having a warm bowl of Soba Noodles. The tradition is considered to date back to the Kamakura period and is tied to a Buddhist temple giving out soba noodles to needy ones. Since the long thin noodles are firm and quite easy to bite, it is believed by people that eating noodles symbolizes an actual break, away from the previous year.
England, UK: Listening to Big Ben’s bells toll
On the evening of New year, it has been a tradition for British households to gather and wait for the Big Ben bells, the clocktower at the Houses of the Parliament. As soon as the bells toll, usually a huge circle forms, people link their hands, and start reciting their traditional song which is popularly known as ‘Auld Lang Syne.’
Italy: Wearing red underwear
In Italy, the tradition is quite surprising – it’s considered amazing luck to wear red undergarments as the ball drops. How and when this practice started still seems to be disputed, but people still give it a try. People in Italy wear undergarments of red color and mark the beginning of the new year by thinking of a bright year ahead.
Colombia: Placing three potatoes under the bed
On the evening of the New Year, Colombian families have a very interesting tradition, called agüero, of placing three potatoes under each family member’s bed—one is peeled, one is not, and the last one is partially peeled. At midnight each person grabs one with their eyes closed and depending on the potato which they select, they may expect a year of good fortune, financial struggle, or even a mix of both, accordingly.
Mexico: Gifting homemade tamales
In Mexico, families and relatives gather together to make New Year’s Eve food—particularly tamales, which are corn dough stuffed with meat, cheese, and veggies – all wrapped in husks and then they give them out to their loved ones on the Eve. On New Year’s Day, the warm pockets are often served with Menudo, which is a traditional Mexican soup made from the stomach of a Cow.
Philippines: Serving 12 round fruits
In the Philippines, families in the country make sure to serve 12 round fruits, which commonly include apples, grapes, and plums, considered to represent prosperity and good luck due to their shape, which mirrors coins. As for the lucky number, each fruit signifies one month out of the entire year.
Canada: Going ice fishing
Such a cold temperature doesn’t keep Canadians from starting their new year with a winter favorite sport which is ice fishing. According to Global News, families rent heated huts and cooking equipment so that they can enjoy their feast with their close ones in the location.
Denmark: Throwing old plates
Chucking plates usually signifies a conversation gone very wrong but in Denmark, however, New Year’s Eve traditions like this bring your loved ones good luck to them. It is believed that the more broken kitchenware someone collects on their doorstep, the better their new year will be.
Haiti: Sharing Soup Joumou
January 1 is also celebrated as Haitian Independence Day and because of that, there’s an important New Year’s traditional meal associated with the holiday. People usually have pumpkin soup (soup joumou) because it was a delicacy that enslaved Black people were not allowed to have. People often visit the houses of other people, bring soup and swap for some of theirs.
France: Feasting with Champagne
The notion of drinking wine in France is about as groundbreaking; the French up the ante and go all out on Champagne to celebrate the new year. There is usually a lot of dancing and party hopping. The food choices, however, remain the same throughout the nation. Sparkling wine is paired with oysters, turkey, goose, or even Ca cornish hen.
That is how the New Year is celebrated across the globe by different countries with their rich tradition and culture. People mark the new year in different ways to have a better year ahead.
Written by Anmol Panwar
Edited by Madiha Tariq
