lip top 10: international new year traditions
Happy New Year everyone! Sick of the traditional drinking, fireworks and Auld Lang Syne-ing, or the less traditional passing out, missing the fireworks and drunkendialling? Spice up your celebrations this New Year by incorporating some international traditions into your revelry.
1. Go First-Footing
In Scottish folklore, the first-foot is the first person to cross the threshold into a home on New Year’s Day. They bring with them a gift – a coin, bread, salt, coal or whiskey. This is supposed to bring good fortune for the next year. Different regions have different rules about who the first-footer must be, such as only a male, or a person with fair hair; but the person must not have been in the house at the stroke of midnight.
2. Give money to children
This is the Japanese custom of Otoshidama. It began in the Edo period with the wealthy handing out mochi (rice cakes) and mandarins. The money is handed out in a decorated pouch to spread happiness. I dare say it works. I would have been a pretty happy kid if I were handed money every new year.
3. Eat grapes
This is a South American tradition, observed in countries such as Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain. It began as a pretty crafty way to consume excess produce one year, but evolved to eating one grape on each stroke of the clock at midnight. One grape represents one month, and will bring good fortune. I hope it works for fermented grapes.
4. Light a bonfire
Probably not ideal when there are fire bans about at this time of year, but this is a Dutch tradition to purge the old and bring in the new. Maybe light a symbolic candle instead?
5. Bake a cake
New Year’s Day in Greece falls on the Festival of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church. Cake is one of the traditional foods served, and like we do with Christmas pudding, a coin is baked inside. The finder (or swallower) will have good luck for the year.
6. Tell fortunes
This is a German custom, where you pour molten lead into cool water and tell a fortune by what shape it hardens into. If that’s not enough German tradition for you, you can also touch a chimney sweep for good luck.
7. Wear red underwear like the Italians
Questioning it only seems to result in confusion. I did a Google search to find the origin and found this sentence: ‘The wishes of the locals are expressed via their underpants.’ If that’s true I should probably stop wearing nappies.
8. Put your man in a skirt
It is tradition in Ecuador for the men to dress up as women to represent the “widow” of the year that has passed. After a few drinks I doubt it would take much convincing.
9. Wear yellow underwear like the Venezuelans
If red’s not your colour.
10. Enjoy some circles
In the Philippines, it is believed that circles attract money and fortune, so people dress up in polka dot clothing, throw coins and serve circular fruits. I wonder if having a circle as your body shape counts.
