Ever since our friend Yabelin shared with us some of the New Year’s Traditions from Panama, I have been intrigued with fun ways to ring in the New Year! I collected these ideas for our family and thought you might enjoy them and try out a few yourself tonight. Note! I found most of this on the internet so I cannot guarantee their accuracy! If you have more information on these traditions or have some of your own we would love to hear them!
I'm off to try to find some yellow underwear!
New Years Kiss
Kissing at midnight - Kiss a loved one at the stroke of midnight to ensure continued affections throughout the year!
Pots and Pans
Banging pots and pans - The belief was that loud noisemaking as the New Year arrived would scare away evil spirits!
Doors
Fling open all the doors in your home at midnight to release last year's misfortunes and let good fortune inside for the New Year!
Around the World
Babylonians celebrated the New Year as early as 4,000 BC and a common tradition was to return borrowed farm equipment. (Check your garage everyone!)
Central and South America
Underwear - Wear red underwear for more love in the New Year, yellow for more money!
Central America and Mexico
Travel - Walk around the block (or outside your home) with a suitcase to bring travel into your New Year!
Philippines
Polka Dots - Wear polka dots and eat round fruit at midnight to ensure a prosperous New Year (the dots signify coins and wealth)!
Spain
Grapes - There are lots of variations on the grape tradition from Spain. What I found was -
1. Wolfing down handfuls of grapes as the clock strikes midnight for a prosperous New Year
2. Eat 12 grapes, one for each chime of midnight, and make a wish with each grape!
3. Eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight which signify the upcoming 12 months. If you get sweet grapes - those months will be sweet, sour grapes... well you can guess the rest!
Greece
Cake - Traditional New Year’s Cake Vassilopita, a sponge cake that has a coin baked in it. My Greek mother-in-law, Carolyne, has passed the torch to our daughter Isabelle this year. Our cakes are cooling right now. On New Years Eve the cake is divided up with one piece per family member. The first piece of the cake goes to God, the second piece to the home and then the rest to each family member, oldest to youngest. The person to get the coin is to have good luck in the coming year!
Ireland
Find a husband - If you are a single woman looking for love, place mistletoe leaves under your pillow to dream of (or catch) your future husband! It can also help you get rid of bad luck!
Japan
Clean up your act - Thoroughly clean your home, pay all your debts and resolve and forgive all disagreements (not a bad idea!). This frees you up to welcome in the New Year with peace and prosperity!
So, I hope this has given you all some ideas on how to ring in 2012! However you decide to celebrate, be safe and enjoy… here’s to a great year ahead!
Jane
ps. I don't think I have ever used so many exclamation points in any post! Ever!
