As the clock approaches midnight on December 31, rituals get underway. Some are boisterous—fireworks, bonfires, plate-breaking. Others are quiet—writing wishes, slicing fruit, lighting candles—small gestures aimed at shaping the coming year.
Globally, New Year’s Eve has long been a time not only for celebration but also symbolism: actions intended to carry good fortune forward, leave misfortune behind, or bring a sense of order to the unpredictability of the approaching year. Though champagne toasts and countdowns are central to many festivities, traditions worldwide reflect a much broader—and often older—collection of beliefs about luck, plenty, and renewal.
Smashing pomegranates and breaking plates
In Greece, smashing pomegranates against doorways symbolizes abundance; the more seeds that scatter, the greater the desired luck and prosperity.
In Denmark, celebrants break plates and dishes at friends’ and neighbors’ doorsteps. Some view it as a way to leave aggression and bad luck behind, while others believe it brings good fortune—the larger the heap of broken shards, the luckier one will be.
In Ireland, families bake Christmas bread and strike it against walls and doors to drive away evil spirits and welcome good ones.
Eating your luck
In Japan, the year concludes with toshikoshi soba—“year-crossing noodles”—where the long, buckwheat strands symbolize resilience and longevity.
In Brazil, those seeking prosperity turn to pomegranates, tucking seven seeds into a pocket or purse for luck.
The Dutch observe New Year’s Eve with oliebollen, deep-fried dough balls with origins in ancient Germanic midwinter rituals. Folklore holds that consuming these fatty pastries offered protection from the fearsome goddess Perchta, who was said to penalize those who did not feast during Yule.
In Estonia, abundance is taken literally: celebrants eat seven, nine, or 12 meals—all regarded as lucky numbers—to bring prosperity. Leaving a small amount of food on the plate is also customary, serving as an offering for the spirits of visiting ancestors.
And in the Czech Republic, fortunes are read not in tea leaves but in apples. When sliced open at midnight, a star-shaped core in the fruit signals health and good luck. However, a cross-shaped core foretells that someone at the gathering will become unwell.
Dressing for destiny
In the Philippines, many don polka-dot attire and arrange round fruits on party tables to invoke wealth and good luck, as the circular shapes resemble coins and are believed to symbolize prosperity. Usually, 12 round fruits are served, representing the 12 months of the year. Fruit colors also matter: green and purple symbolize prosperity, while yellow represents happiness.
Elsewhere globally, particularly in parts of Latin America and Europe, people believe that the color of one’s underwear determines the year’s fortune. Green is thought to attract wealth, red to bring love, and blue to invite stability.
Going forth with loved ones
In Chile, families welcome the New Year alongside those who have passed. In the city of Talca, residents light candles at graves and hold midnight mass in cemeteries, enabling both living and deceased relatives to enter the New Year together. The tradition is said to date back to 1995, following a family in Talca that spent New Year’s Eve beside their late father’s grave.
Burning up the old year
In parts of Latin America, towering bonfires illuminate neighborhoods as effigies symbolizing the “old year” are burned to purify away misfortune and create space for new starts. Known as “monigotes” in Ecuador and “muñecos” in Panama, these life-sized effigies—made from old clothes and sawdust, and stuffed with firecrackers—are often modeled after political or pop-culture figures, sometimes unpopular ones. At times, they represent broader issues or the past year’s difficulties. The practice is believed to banish the negative and make way for the new.
Drinking ashes
A well-known Russian New Year’s Eve tradition involves writing a wish, burning the paper, adding the ashes to a glass of champagne, and drinking it before the New Year’s first minute elapses. It is believed that if the drink is finished before 12:01 a.m., the wish will be granted.
Getting the first foot in
In Scotland, the Hogmanay celebration lasts for days in cities like Edinburgh, where large street parties and fireworks illuminate Princes Street. Part of the tradition, called “first footing,” dictates that the first person to enter your home after midnight should bring symbolic good-luck gifts.
On New Year’s Day, many in Scotland—often wearing silly costumes—plunge into icy waters as part of the Loony Dook, meaning “lunatic dip.” The tradition was started by three friends in the late 1980s to cure their hangovers after Hogmanay celebrations. The largest event occurs at South Queensferry, west of Edinburgh, but it has become a popular tradition across other Scottish regions.
