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New Year Traditions from Around the World

Wherever you are on the night of December 31, New Year's celebrations are in full bloom. In New York City, people cram into Times Square to watch a 700-pound crystal ball drop, a tradition that’s over 100 years old. While the ball drop and fireworks have become an iconic tradition in America, countries around the world will toast 2024 with unique celebrations aimed at willing an abundance of love, luck, prosperity, and discovery for the new year!

In some cultures, starting off the year with good luck foods is customary. Others believe following New Year superstitions, whether wearing a certain underwear color or decorating the house in a unique way, will help bring health, wealth and happiness in the upcoming months. 

And while we can't be sure that any New Year tradition will make the year ahead a better one, it certainly doesn't hurt to try one or two out to see if they work. After all, we could all use some good fortune in 2024! So get scrolling and pick your favorite tradition. Our suggestion? Throw on some red underwear and think positive!

Your personal InteleTravel Advisor and InteleTravel both wish you a year of peace, love, happiness, abundance, travel, and good luck.

Here’s to a very Happy New Year!

Japan's  Buddhist temple bells ring out 108 times as in the lead up to the new year. Each chime is supposed to root out a worldly passion, such as anger, suspicion or lust. The last toll comes at midnight. It's also traditional to eat "toshikoshi soba," a dish with long, buckwheat noodles that's served hot or cold. The noodles symbolize longevity, and the hearty buckwheat plant represents resilience.

Singapore  decorates its Singapore River with the wishing spheres containing the hopes and dreams of new year revelers. Illuminated and en masse, they make quite a statement. In the past, tens of thousands of spheres have floated down the river.

In  Turkey , pomegranates are symbols of abundance. Eating them is great, sure — but if you really want a good 2024, you'll smash the fruit on your doorstep. It's said that the more pieces there are, and the farther they spread, the more prosperous you will be. And, for a little extra luck, sprinkling salt in front of your door will bring peace.

Certain countries, especially in  Latin America , believe that the color of your underwear can bring good things to you in the next 12 months. Yellow is for luck, red is for love and white undies bring peace.

Greece , New Year's dessert isn't just a treat, it's a game of chance: Guests are served vasilopita, or a cake or sweet bread that has a coin baked into it. Whoever finds the coin will have good luck for the next year! In  Scandinavian  countries, they do something similar with rice pudding, served either at New Year's or Christmas. One portion will have a peeled almond in it, and whoever finds it in their bowl is assured of luck in the new year (and might also win a prize).

In  Columbia , people take empty suitcases and run around the block as fast as they can. It's supposed to guarantee a year filled with travel. One writer for the Tampa Bay Times tried it with her Colombian husband in her Florida neighborhood: "Upon seeing two silhouettes tearing down the street at midnight with backpacks in their arms, our neighbors who were outside to watch fireworks made a beeline to their front doors. We worried they were calling the police." The writer did, however, travel to Colombia that year.

While lots of countries have food-related traditions,  Ireland's  most interesting tradition doesn't involve eating. Instead, the Irish bang on the walls of their homes with Christmas bread. It's said to chase any bad spirits out of the house to start the new year off with a clean slate. (A good house-tidying, presumably after bread-banging, is also an Irish tradition.)

In  Denmark, people stand on their chairs and "leap" into January at midnight to bring good luck and banish bad spirits. Couldn't hurt! (Unless you break the chair.) Speaking of breaking… In Denmark, broken dishes are a good thing — people go around breaking dishware on the doorsteps of their friends and family. The more shards there are in front of your home the next day, the luckier and more well liked you are (unless you're the one who has to sweep).

Head to the beach in  Brazil  and you can increase your luck by heading to the water and jumping over seven waves. You get one wish for each wave. Brazil makes it easier to choose your New Year's Eve outfit — everyone wears white for good luck and peace.

In  Germany and Austria , there are a few different lucky symbols that you'd gift to friends and family to bring them good fortune. These include pigs, mushrooms, clovers and chimney sweeps. You can buy little tokens of these lucky charms at a Christmas market — or get edible ones in fun combinations made out of marzipan. Yum!

Many cultures believe eating round foods on New Year's Eve will lead to prosperity. In Italy , lentils in a New Year's dish represent coins with their round shape. And in the  Philippines , it's customary to eat 12 round fruits, one for every month, to ensure a year of abundance. The fruits usually take center stage at the table for the media noche, or the midnight meal. In  Spain , it is customary to eat 12 grapes, one at each stroke of midnight—one grape for every month of the New Year. According to Atlas Obscura: "Eating one grape at each of midnight’s 12 clock chimes guarantees you a lucky year — if and only if you simultaneously ruminate on their significance. (Each grape represents an upcoming month.) If you fail to conscientiously finish your grapes by the time the clock stops chiming, you’ll face misfortune in the new year." Now, that's a lot to chew on!

Credit: Good Housekeeping

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