10 Rituals to Ring in the New Year

In the United States, the ball drop in New York City is a staple part of New Year’s Eve. Millions of people travel to the city to watch the event in Times Square and even more join the celebration through the TV. This custom was developed by Adolph Ochs, owner of the New York Times, to commemorate the 1907-1908 New Year and bring attention to the newest headquarters of the NYT newspaper. But, the NYC ball drop was not the first time a ball drop occurred to show the passing of time. In fact, in Greenwich, England, “time-balls” dropped daily at 1 p.m. to signify the passing of time for sailors. But, if you’re tired of the NYC ball drop or are in need of a little luck and stability, here are ten other New Year's rituals from around the world.

Latin America

1. Brazil

In Brazil, New Year’s is celebrated at the beach. As the clock strikes midnight, the tradition is to wade into the ocean and jump seven waves, one for each day of the week, while making a wish for each wave. This is said to bring good luck by paying homage to the goddess of water, Yemanjá. Brazilians tend to wear white for this occasion and throw white flowers into the ocean to symbolize purity. So, if you find yourself near an ocean for NYE, try out this custom for good fortune in 2023!

2. Haiti

Along with New Year’s Day, January 1st is actually Haitian Independence Day. It’s celebrated with soup joumou, or pumpkin soup, which was a delicacy that slaves were not permitted to have. Now, every family makes it differently, so people swap soups and bring them parties as a favor to celebrate their history.

3. Colombia

In Colombia, the New Year is celebrated with a tradition called agüero, which is when they place three potatoes under each family member’s bed. One potato is peeled, one is partially peeled, and one is not peeled. At midnight, each individual reaches blindly under their bed to pull out a potato–whichever they grab indicates their financial stability for the upcoming year. If the potato is peeled, they’ll have good fortune, but if they pull out the unpeeled potato they will struggle financially. If they happen to grab the partially peeled potato, the year will be filled with both struggle and stability. So, if you are in need of some financial fortune, test your luck with this custom!

Africa

4. South Africa

In South Africa, many people celebrate the New Year by throwing old furniture out of their windows. This is to remove clutter from homes and symbolizes a fresh start for the upcoming year. But, this tradition has recently been cracked down on, especially in more urban areas like Johannesburg, because falling furniture has caused pedestrian injuries and has become dangerous for passersby.

Europe

5. Spain

If you’re looking for a more achievable New Year’s custom that you can participate in from the comfort of your own home, this might be the one for you. Starting in the 19th century, the Spanish New Year’s tradition is to eat twelve grapes. As the clock turns to midnight, each grape must be eaten during the twelve clock chimes. If not, the grapes will not succeed in bringing you good luck or warding off evil.

6. Denmark

In Denmark, in order to bring good luck, they throw plates at their friends’ and families’ doors. This is said to leave behind any ill-will and aggression before entering the New Year. The bigger the pile of broken kitchenware on your doorstep, the better your year will be!

Asia

8. India

Although India is a huge country with varying religions and traditions, one of the most prevalent customs revolves around the creation of a sculpture of an old man from hay and cloth. At midnight, they burn the sculpture, which symbolizes the passing of grievances and making space for the birth of the New Year. This is predominantly practiced in Mumbai, India’s largest city.

9. Japan

Japan’s tradition for New Year’s is pretty simple. They eat a bowl of soba noodles. The relatively healthy noodles, which are long and thin, are said to bring longevity and prosperity in the New Year. They also symbolize breaking away from the previous year and starting new. This tradition dates back to the Kamakura period and is tied to Buddhist temples giving these warm noodles to the poor.

10. Philippines

Similar to Spain, in the Philippines, they serve twelve rounds of fruits at New Year’s gatherings and celebrations. These fruits tend to be round, like apples, plums, and grapes, because they reflect the idea of coins, which are said to bring monetary prosperity. Each fruit represents a month of the year. This custom is easy to incorporate into your New Year’s Day celebrations as well if you’re in need of monetary luck!

Whether you find yourself celebrating the New Year internationally or at home, we have you covered with new traditions you might want to include with your own NYE customs for the start of 2023.