mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
by - December 30, 2009 - 10:14 PM
Did you know that in Switzerland people ring in the new year by dropping a dollop of cream on the floor? Or how about how Armenians bake special bread with “good luck” and “best wishes” stamped into it? We thought you didn’t. So in honor of 2010, here are 10 unusual traditions observed by different countries around the world.
1. Romania
In Romania, some believe that if you toss coins into the river, you’ll have good luck throughout the coming year. Even more impressive: some peasants use December 31st to predict the coming year’s weather by systematically peeling, salting and reading the skins of 12 onions. According to this source, “On St. Vasile’s Day or New Year’s Day, a person who is efficient in witchcraft and spells checks the level of the liquid left by the melted salt in each of the onions peels.” The level helps them determine the climate conditions in the new year.
2. Spain
In Spain, as the clock strikes 12, people eat twelve grapes—one for each month of the year, and for each toll of the bell. The tradition, which is believed to bring good luck, can be traced back to the year 1909 when there was a bountiful harvest in the town of Alicante and Alfonso XIII, the Spanish King, gave grapes to his peeps on New Year’s Eve.
3. Switzerland
Ever hear of dropping a dollop of cream on the floor to ring in the new year with good luck, wealth and peace? Well that’s what some do in Switzerland — it’s thought to bring a year of abundance. (Hey, don’t laugh… provided everyone cleans up his or her dollop, it’s a lot more civilized than screaming along with a trillion other people in Times Square.) Some Swiss also observe the tradition of dressing up in costumes to invoke good spirits and chase evil energies.
4. Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico, they blast car horns and boat whistles, ring church bells and beat drums to drive away evil spirits and demons. In some parts of the country they also throw pails of water from their windows at midnight in a bid to chase away the evil eye. Puerto Ricans also have an unusual tradition for bringing good luck in the coming year: they drop backwards into the breaking waves as the clock strikes 12.
5. Belgium
Belgium might be the only country where farmers wish their livestock happy new year to ensure 365 days of good health and well-being. Well, outside of India, where they bless cows frequently, and, of course, Sesame Street, where Bert and Ernie are always wishing the animals a happy this or that. Belgians are also known to exchange gifts on New Year’s, which they celebrate as Sint Sylvester Vooranvond (St. Sylvester Eve).
6. France
The French mix health and wealth and usher in the new beginning with a stack of pancakes. (Note to self: get rich quick scheme no. 145: open an iHop in Paris) Another unique custom in France is kissing under the mistletoe as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, sorta like Christmas traditions elsewhere.
7. Armenia
In Armenia, a special kind of bread is baked with good luck and best wishes stamped on it. Traditionally, people conduct a ‘Ritual of Fire’ on New Year’s Eve where all troubles pertaining to the old year are symbolically burnt. This is not to be confused with the “Ring of Fire’ in the fish tank on Finding Nemo.
8. Bolivia
In Bolivia, dolls made of straw and wood are hung outside homes for good luck. Coins are also baked into sweets. Whoever finds the coins will be prosperous in the New Year. It is also considered auspicious to leave 3 stones outside the door for health, prosperity and love. Other Bolivians elect to wear yellow-colored undies to bring themselves a new year full of money. Red undies, on the other hand, supposedly bring love.
9. Portugal
In the northern parts of Portugal, children traditionally sing carols as they visit houses where they are given coins and treats. The songs they sing are called janeiros and are said to bring good luck. As in Spain, eating 12 grapes at midnight ensures 12 months of happiness in the coming year.
10. Japan
Not unlike what happens in Chicago after every Cub’s season, the Japanese have ‘forget-the-year’ parties and generally consider it a time to forgive and forget. They hang straw ropes across their homes’ façades to ward away evil spirits and welcome good luck and happiness.
If you like these kinds of lists, there’s plenty more where this one came from. Follow me on Twitter: @resila – and follow mental_floss here to stay up-to-date.
Comments (19)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
#2 isn’t just in Spain. People all over Latin America also do this. :)
posted by Nester on 12-31-2009 at 12:10 am
In Finland there is habit to melt tin and pour molten tin in bucket of cold water. You can predict the course of the coming year by looking at a solidified lump of molten tin or its shadow. Shops sell special ladles and horseshoe-shaped tin for this event.
posted by Matti on 12-31-2009 at 3:20 am
Here is Germany, the tradition is to have a chimney sweep to bless the home. It stems from the time when clogged flues and chimneys could burn a whole village to the ground. A visit from the chimney sweep eliminated the clogs and soot, ensuring you had a lucky year free of house burning. Now, it’s more symbolic, with people who don’t have fireplaces hiring the sweep to come and bless the house. Sometimes they’ll also give you a 1 Euro-cent coin too, for a prosperous year.
posted by Tamsyn on 12-31-2009 at 3:59 am
Hmm, I’m French, have celebrated new years close to 40 times in France and never, ever, once have had pancakes.
For one, they would be crèpes, not pancakes (forget the IHOP, there’s a crèpe stand / restaurant in every village in France) and second, we eat them for Chandeleur (Candelmas, Feb 2nd), not new year’s eve.
Mistletoe, yes.
posted by PaulA on 12-31-2009 at 4:49 am
An interesting list! I’m from New Mexico and I’m surprised that we don’t also have the grape-eating tradition, give the huge amount of Spanish heritage and influence here. Now where are my yellow underwear…
posted by megan @ gypsytracks on 12-31-2009 at 9:58 am
My family has always said to eat a spoonful of black eyed peas on New Years Day you will have good luck for the year!
posted by michael on 12-31-2009 at 10:24 am
NYE 1999 some friends and I began a tradition of Turnip Throwing. This involved taking a turnip and carving it with runes or other symbols of your choice. At the stroke of midnight, we throw the turnips while shouting “Frank Gifford rocks Discordia” (there was a little bit of alcohol involved in the start of this tradition).
While this is still done in some parts of Pennsylvania today, I believe the practice peaked in 2003 when about 40 people were throwing turnips in the middle of a townhouse complex in Reading, PA.
Anyone looking to continue/spread the tradition is encouraged to do so. “Happy Feezle Day!” is also an acceptable invocation should the Frank Gifford rocks Discordia thing prove to weird or unweildy.
posted by EMStoveken on 12-31-2009 at 10:36 am
My father got me in on a tradition of eating a piece of herring first thing in the new year, to insure good luck. When I ask him how this tradition got started, he tells me ‘North Sea fisherman!’ (or alternatively, ‘The herring industry!’) but I gather his family does it regularly. Since we’re German in ancestry, it kinda makes sense: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/index.php?option=com_resource&controller=article&article=28211&category_id=249&Itemid=201&pagenum=5 (this list has several other New Year’s food traditions, as well!)
posted by LC Young on 12-31-2009 at 12:26 pm
what about sylvester?
posted by julie on 12-31-2009 at 3:27 pm
Being from Brazil, my husband & I always wear white on New Years’s Eve. We also make sure the kids, and even the baby, are dressed in white. White symbolizes peace for the new year and is the most popular color used by Brazilians on New Year’s Eve. However, other colors are used as well: yellow = money/good fortune, red = romance & passion, pink = love, green = health & hope, blue = tranquility.
posted by Carioca on 12-31-2009 at 6:57 pm
I’ve heard a few different underwear colour tales from several places in the past week but danged if I can remember what colours are tradition from where.
posted by Lisa H on 12-31-2009 at 9:42 pm
It’s a Chinese tradition not to take out the trash or clean the house on New Year’s so that you don’t accidentally dispose of your good luck. Among other things.
Even though January 1st isn’t the start of the Chinese calendar..
posted by Kristin on 12-31-2009 at 9:46 pm
Hope China will be your first choice if you want to travel.One day, when you are in China ,you will find it is worthy.
posted by xtaaxtw on 1-1-2010 at 3:19 am
One of the problems with these types of lists is that even when the content is accurate, it can easily misrepresent the reality. In Japan, they do hang paper strips and they represent purification, but the Japanese have no deep belief in their power. It’s simply a tradition with no meaning to the vast majority of people. Also, \forget the year\ parties are really just an excuse for people to socialize and get drunk. There’s no sincere effort to forgive and forget and few people view them as having that purpose.
If someone said that Americans sacrifice live trees and give gifts as a representation of the gifts given to baby Jesus by the three wise men, it’d technically be correct, but it’d also be misleading. Most people don’t see their celebrations in that light.
posted by Orchid64 on 1-1-2010 at 3:37 am
Puerto Rico must be an awesome country! Oh wait.
posted by jnd on 1-1-2010 at 9:29 am
They’re actually called janeiras, with an “A”.
posted by phaedrus on 1-1-2010 at 10:41 am
never heard of the romanian traditions mentioned here. could be very localized.
did the grape eating in rio (brazil) and jumped over the first 7 waves at the beach. for luck in the new year. wore white, too.
posted by romanian on 1-3-2010 at 12:31 am
Nester is right, #2 (eating grapes) isn’t just in Spain, it happens all over Latin America. We also have a tradition of taking luggage and going around the block with it to represent traveling to new places in the coming year. We also get a bucket of water and dump it outside.
posted by Barbara on 1-3-2010 at 10:09 pm
Good tips on dressing. I would like to add if you want to have an Indian traditional look but don’t know how to wear sari go for Choli skirts http://www.kaneesha.com/choli_index.cfm. I recently bought one from the site kaneesha.com it was alluring.
posted by fanila on 6-11-2010 at 3:08 am