Unique New Year’s Traditions and Party Ideas

We’re starting to plan our New Year’s Eve activities and it got us thinking about how the day is celebrated in other parts of the world. From fortune telling potatoes to lucky gold coins, take a trip around the world with us as we round up some of the most interesting traditions!

1. To start fresh for the new year, some residents in South Africa throw old furniture out the window on New Year’s Eve.

2. In Spain, people eat 12 white grapes to coincide with the 12 chimes of the clock at midnight to ring in the new year. Eating all 12 by the end of the chimes guarantees 12 lucky months ahead!

3. On New Year’s eve in Ireland you’re likely to see residents banging bread against the walls and doors of their home to chase out the bad luck and welcome the good.

4. One of the traditions in Greece is to bake a cake with a gold coin inside. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will have luck in the coming year!

5. In Colombia, it’s a tradition to throw three potatoes underneath the bed to tell your final future for the new year. The first potato is not peeled, the next one is half peeled, and last one is completely peeled. Without looking, you must reach underneath and grab the first potato you bump into. If you grab the potato that is completely peeled you will find financial hardship in the new year, half peeled means some economic troubles ahead, while a potato that’s not peeled can mean money is in your future!

6. To make your New Year’s wish come true in Russia, write your wish on a piece of paper, burn it, put the ashes in your beverage and drink it right before the New Year is rung in.

7. In Argentina, it’s tradition to stand on your right foot so you start out the new year on the right foot – literally!

8. Furry friends aren’t left out of the celebrations in Eastern Europe! Hungarians chat with their pets as they believe they can speak on New Year’s Eve while Belgians and Romanians wish their pets and livestock well for the coming year.

9. In the American South, it’s considered good luck to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day. The more you eat, the more luck you will get the coming year! It’s also a custom to eat greens for financial fortune – bonus if they are cooked with ham!

10. For luck, wealth, and peace in the year to come, drop a dollop of cream on the floor in Switzerland!

Do you have a special New Year’s Eve tradition? Post a comment to share! No matter how you celebrate, we hope you have a happy and healthy 2016!

P.S. It’s not to late to start a new NYE tradition with custom tees! Order by Sunday, December 27th to outfit yourself or your New Year’s crew with custom apparel. Get inspired with our New Year’s design ideas.

Sources:
Boston.com
Infoplease
Huffington Post
IB Times
Afar
Southern Plate