Unusual Ways to Bring in the New Year

As the clock strikes midnight, you can toss household items out the window in Italy, symbolizing a fresh start. In Estonia, you might feast on seven, nine, or twelve dishes to increase your strength. Brazilians plunge seven waves to honor the Goddess of the Sea and secure a year of good luck. Spaniards don red underwear and race through the streets. Ecuadorians burn effigies of politicians to cleanse themselves of the previous year's troubles. These are just a few of the unique cultural traditions people around the world welcome to usher in new beginnings.

Throw Household Items Out the Window, Italy

Often on New Year's Eve, Italians may dramatically throw old household items like televisions, toasters, and pans out of windows or drop them from balconies. This unique Italian tradition symbolizes the removal of the old and negative, allowing the good to come in for the new year. It's also a practical way for Italians to make more storage space at home.

However, caution is advised for those walking on the streets during this unorthodox ritual, as objects can fall from numerous floors. Italians see this tradition as a fresh start, clearing out the old to make way for the new. The throwing of household items out the window is a distinct and centuries-old way for the Italian people to usher in the new year with a clean slate.

Dining by Numbers, Estonia

Estonians tend to treat New Year's Eve dining as a numerical affair, consuming seven, nine, or twelve dishes to bring luck for the coming year. The specific numbers are believed to hold special significance, with more dishes thought to increase a man's strength in the year to come. Families are cautioned not to finish all the food, as ancestors and spirits may visit on December 31st. Traditional Estonian dishes like sauerkraut and marzipan are commonly served, though the focus seems to be on the magical properties of the quantities consumed. Unlike the Spanish tradition of eating grapes on New Year's Eve, Estonians focus their superstitions on the number of dishes, rather than individual items. This unique culinary custom is just one of the many unusual ways Estonians usher in the new year, blending family, food, and folklore to secure good fortune for the months ahead.

Jump Seven Waves, Brazil

Donning pristine white attire, Brazilians flock to the beaches on New Year's Eve to honor the Goddess of the Sea, Yemanja. As the clock strikes midnight, they jump over seven waves, making a wish for each one, believing this will bring them 12 months of good luck in the new year. Some Brazilians go a step further, setting small boats with flowers, jewelry, or other tributes in the water, hoping the waves will carry them out to sea as a gift to Yemanja. If the tributes float out to sea, it's said to bring the person a full year of prosperity. This tradition of jumping over seven waves has its roots in the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé religion and has become a significant part of New Year's Eve celebrations in Brazil, a unique way to usher in the new year.

Run Around in Red Underwear, Spain

In La Font de la Figuera, Valencia, locals enthusiastically don new red underwear and trainers on New Year's Eve. This unique tradition, believed to bring luck in the coming year, sees residents racing down the streets to welcome the new year in their crimson undergarments. The ritual eliminates the stress of finding a complete New Year's outfit, allowing locals to focus on the festive spirit.

• The red underwear is a symbol of good fortune, ushering in a prosperous new year.
• Locals gather in the town square, impatient to start the new year's celebrations.
• The tradition has been a long-standing part of the town's New Year's Eve festivities.
• Spectators line the streets, cheering on the red-clad runners as they welcome the new year.

This unusual Spanish tradition showcases the diverse ways communities around the world celebrate new years, embracing their unique cultural practices.

Burn Effigies, Ecuador

Ecuadorians burn effigies resembling popular figures, such as presidents, to rid themselves of the bad things from the previous year. This tradition is believed to bring luck and happiness for the coming 12 months. Before the effigies are set on fire, the locals dress up as the caricatures' widows and beg for money from the crowds.

The burning of the effigies is a way for Ecuadorians to start the New Year's Eve celebration with a fresh slate, free from the evil spirits and bad luck of the last year. The tradition has become a significant part of the festivities, allowing people to let go of the negative experiences and welcome the coming year with open arms. By burning these symbolic figures, Ecuadorians believe they can cleanse themselves and their communities, facilitating a prosperous and joyful new beginning.

Grape-Eating Race, Spain

Spaniards have their own unique way of ringing in the new year - a grape-eating race. On New Year's Eve, they must gobble down 12 grapes, one for each chime of the clock at midnight. This tradition dates back to 1895 and is believed to rid the previous year's evil spirits. Successful completion of eating all 12 grapes before the bell stops ringing is said to bring good luck for the coming year.

Spain's status as the world's third-largest wine producer does not diminish the importance of this grape-focused New Year's tradition. The race tests participants' speed and dexterity as they try to consume the 12 grapes before the clock finishes its chimes.

• The tradition is rooted in superstition, with the grapes representing the 12 months of the year.
• Partaking in the race is a way for Spaniards to symbolically let go of the past year and welcome the new.
• Completing the challenge is believed to bring prosperity and good fortune in the year ahead.
• The grape-eating race is a unique way for Spaniards to celebrate the last day of the year, setting them apart from New Year's traditions around the world.

See Your Fortune in Melted Tin, Finland

On New Year's Eve, Finns carefully melt a small, horseshoe-shaped piece of metal on the stove. They then toss the molten metal into cold water, where it quickly hardens into a tangled lump. Finns believe the shape and shadow of the hardened metal reveal the coming year's events. If the cast breaks and the symbol of good luck falls apart, the year's luck is expected to do the same.

This unique Finnish tradition of predicting the future through melted tin is a great way to bring in the new year. It offers a glimpse into what the last year held and what the next year may bring. As the old year ends and the new year begins, Finns keenly await the results of their tin-casting, hoping for a lucky and prosperous year ahead.

Smash Plates, Denmark

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, Danes gear up to partake in a peculiar tradition - the smashing of plates. Throughout the year, they've carefully saved their old, chipped, and broken dishes, eager to unleash them in a symbolic gesture to welcome the new year.

On the stroke of 12, these plates are hurled at the doors of friends, family, and neighbors, leaving a pile of shattered ceramics on the doorstep. This last-minute plate-smashing ritual is believed to symbolize leaving the old year behind and starting afresh. The sound of shattering crockery is thought to scare away bad spirits and usher in good luck for the coming year.

• The tradition has been a long-standing custom in Denmark for generations.
• Finding broken cups and plates on the doorstep the day after is an affectionate, though now useless, gift.
• Danes save their old, chipped, and broken dishes throughout the year for this purpose.
• The custom of plate-smashing on New Year's Eve is a unique way for Danes to celebrate the arrival of the new year with their loved ones.

Gather Round Items, Philippines

In the Philippines, gathering and consuming round objects like fruits, cookies, and coins is a New Year's tradition meant to symbolize wealth and prosperity in the coming year. Eating round fruits like oranges and apples is believed to bring good luck and abundance. Wearing polka dots or carrying round items like buttons is also common to further attract financial fortune. This practice of welcoming the new year with a sense of abundance and prosperity through round objects is an integral part of Philippine New Year's celebrations. The Philippine tradition of gathering round objects stems from the association between roundness and the idea of completeness, fullness, and wealth. By embracing this unique custom, Filipinos aim to cultivate an air of abundance and well-being as they initiate the new year, hoping to reap the rewards of their efforts in the months to come.