9 New Year’s Eve traditions around the world

1. Eat 12 grapes at midnight, Spain

2. Give an offering to the Goddess of the Sea, Brazil

3. Break a plate, Denmark

If you’re thinking about getting rid of those chipped old plates and porcelain sitting in your kitchen cupboard, set them aside and save them for the new year. When the big night arrives throw your saved up kitchenware at your friend’s and neighbour’s doors.

In Denmark it is believed that the more broken dishes you find outside your door in the morning, the more friends and luck you will have in the new year. Now-a-days, this tradition is rarely practised, but why not have some smashing fun?

4. Invite a handsome man into your home, Scotland

To ensure the best luck for the coming year, make sure the first person to set foot into your home in 2021 is tall, dark and handsome.

5. Burn an effigy, Ecuador

6. Place mistletoe under your pillow, Ireland

Looking for romance in the new year? Place mistletoe leaves under your pillow before you go to sleep on New Year’s Eve to give you luck in love in the coming year.

In Ireland those that are single place sprigs of mistletoe, holly or ivy under their pillows with the hope they’ll find their future wife or husband.

7. Celebrate at a cemetery, Chile

Welcome the new year in the company of your deceased family members in your local cemetery. This tradition isn’t so much for luck, as it is the chance to be reunited with lost loved ones.

8. Throw furniture from your window, Italy

Toss your old possessions out of the window to symbolise your readiness to accept the new year and all that comes with it. In Naples people have been known to throw items ranging from old toasters to retired fridges from their balconies.

9. Wear polka dots, The Philippines

Dress in polka dots to guarantee wealth in the coming year. In the Philippines roundness is thought to signify prosperity, so on New Year’s Eve locals surround themselves with round shapes, by wearing polka dots, filling their pockets with coins or by eating circular fruits. Stock up on oranges and dress up in dots if wealth is your new year wish.

Some of these traditions date back hundreds of years, and may not still be widely practised. But why not have a bit of fun this new year… smash some plates, eat some grapes, wear polka dots and drink whiskey with a tall handsome man.

Happy New Year from the Wanderlust team!

Main image: Eat 12 grapes at midnight in Spain (Shutterstock)