From melting metal, to eating lentils to walking with suitcases… Around the world there are numerous weird and mysterious ways of celebrating New Year. Let’s have a look at the top 10 weirdest manners to celebrate the New Year!
1. Entering the New Year with the right foot, Argentina
If you celebrate the New Year’s Eve in Argentina, at midnight make sure to step forward with your right foot to enter in the new year. Beware: it’s the right foot, not the left one!
2. Wearing white clothes, Brazil
In Brazil, everyone wears white clothes on New Year’s Eve. Why? Because the white color symbolizes peace and prosperity. Additionally, people by the beach build small handmade boats and load them with offerings for the goddess of the water Lemanja.
3. Melting Metal, Finland
During New Year’s Eve, Finnish people put melted tin into a backet of cold water. Then, the resulting shape is read to predict a person’s future for the New Year.
4. Putting salt on doorsteps and opening pomegranates, Turkey
At midnight, some Turkish people sprinkle salt on their doorstep to bring peace and prosperity to their houses. Other people open pomegranates, which are believed to attract wealth.
5. Wearing red underwear and eating lentils, Italy
In Italy, most people wear new red underwear on New Year’s Eve, as they are thought to bring good luck. According to the tradition, they must be a present from somebody else. Another Italian way to celebrate the new year is to eat lentils on the first of January… The more you eat, the richer you become during the year!
6. Walking with empty suitcases, Columbia
Columbian people who wish to travel in the New Year take a stroll on the streets along with their empty suitcases in their hands. This walk is believed to ensure a great travelling experience for the people.
7. Eating seven times, Estonia
Food coma is the way to welcome the new year in Estonia! On New Year’s Day, Estonians traditionally eat seven times. The abundance of food represents a year filled with prosperity.
8. Baking coins in food, Bolivia
If you happen to be in Bolivia for New Year’s Eve, chew with caution! You might find some coins baked into cakes and sweets. It’s believed that the person who finds the coin in her/his food will have good luck for the upcoming year.
9. Burning muñecos, Panama
In Panama, people normally burn muñecos on New Year’s Eve. The muñecos are dolls of well-known people that are on display throughout the holiday season until they are burned in the new year.
10. Water Fight, Thailand
This last tradition is not celebrated on the 1st of January, but it’s too fun not to include it on the list. In Thailand, the Thai New Year is celebrated by participating in the famous Songkran Festival. During this occasion, thousands of people participate in a big water fight on the streets of cities. It is an important event on the Buddhist calendar, which marks the beginning of the traditional Thai New year and takes place in middle April.
