How New Year's is Celebrated Around the World

Among all the holidays celebrated worldwide, New Year’s is the most anticipated by many. Different countries make grand preparations for it, each having its own distinct set of traditions. It’s the closest you can get to a universal holiday.

Though it is widely celebrated around the globe, some places observe New Year’s Eve differently. Each country has its own unique traditions. There’s one where you have to break plates, and there’s another where you bathe yourself in perfume.

No matter where you choose to take your holiday trip to, there’s bound to be a place for you to enjoy the New Year.

To help you decide where to take your New Year’s Celebrations, here’s a lowdown of how other countries celebrate it.

Russia

New Year’s is celebrated twice in Russia. One according to the Julian calendar, and one according to the Gregorian calendar. It all depends on the family, whether they wish to celebrate both. But more often than not, many Russians would celebrate the Gregorian Calendar.

Much Like Christmas, New Year’s is exclusively a family affair in Russia. At most, some would invite their distant relatives to spend New Year’s Eve with them. Others would choose to spend it with their direct family and only call their other relatives to greet them “S Novim Godom!”

Traditional Russian salads are a must at New Year’s. One of the most popular salads is Olivier salad, which contains potatoes, carrots, pickles, green peas, eggs, chicken, and chopped-up bologna.

Ukraine

Many Ukrainians still celebrate New Year based on the Julian calendar, which would mean they would celebrate it on January 14 on the Gregorian calendar.

New Year’s, however, isn’t a public holiday in Ukraine. But there are still several cultural and music festivals to enjoy, sleigh rides for both adults and children, and theatrical performances featuring popular themes during this day.

Thailand: Visiting Temples

The New Year is celebrated twice a year in Thailand — on January 1 and April 13.

New Year in Thailand was originally celebrated on April 13, and this momentous event is called Songkran. In 1940, the official New Year’s date was changed to January 1. Songkran is still widely celebrated as a national holiday to this day.

During the evening, most Thais visit temples to mark the change of the year with good luck and prosperity. It is common for them to give alms and do acts of kindness during this time. It’s their unique way of beginning the new year with the right foot.

Philippines

The Philippines celebrates New Year’s Eve by adorning themselves and their tables with anything round. Superstition says that doing so will bring you prosperity, as they are similarly shaped to coins.

Filipinos would gather 12 different kinds of fruits and set them on the table. Each fruit represents a month in a year. When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll have to roll these fruits from your front door to the inside of your house. The fruits should be sweet — not sour or bitter. The most common pick among Filipinos are apples, melons, oranges, and grapes.

You’ll also have to wear an outfit with polka dots. It doesn’t matter what garment you choose or the size of the circle. So as long as there’s a polka dot pattern, you’re good to go.

Mexico

Have you ever tried deliberately smashing a plate on New Year’s? Well, you’ll have a chance to try it out in Mexico.

Mexicans prepare a sweet traditional dish on New Year’s called buñuelos of Oaxaca. These are fried dough balls served with syrup or honey. They are served on a ceramic plate that you get to break after you eat the pastry. This is believed to help you break out of bad habits so that you can start fresh for the new year.

This isn’t the only dish you get to try out in Mexico. They also have turkey, bacalao, or pozole laid out on the table while waiting for the countdown. To complete the experience, drink their traditional drinks: ponche or rompope.

Colombia

Superstitions abound when celebrating New Year’s in Colombia.

You might see some people on New Year’s Eve walking around with an empty suitcase. This is what they call the “suitcase walk*. Colombians believe that strolling with a suitcase on New Years’ will bring them more travels and adventures in the future.

It is tradition to set the table with 12 shafts of wheat on New Year’s to be always blessed with plenty of food. You’ll also have to chow down 12 grapes in one minute, or your wish for the year won’t be granted. Lastly, putting your right foot forward is crucial for Colombians to start the year on a good note.

Peru

Peruvians welcome the New Year with a flower bath, or baño de florecimiento. They concoct a homemade scent by mixing perfume and flowers. After they take a bath, they douse themselves with the result of their mixture.

This unique custom brings good fortune to their relationships and careers for the entire year. But this isn’t the only custom that Peruvians observe in hopes of being blessed by Lady Luck. They practice something akin to Russian Roulette but with potatoes.

It goes like this: they place three potatoes (one peeled, one half-peeled, and one unpeeled) under their furniture. The first potato that they pull out at midnight indicates their luck for an entire year. The peeled potato indicates financial difficulties, the unpeeled potato indicates abundance, and the half-peeled potato means a combination of both.

Making a Fresh Start for the New Year

Travel the world and experience new cultures. While you’re on your New Year’s excursion, you’ll never know. You might meet a gorgeous lady.

And if meeting a decent woman while traveling is your goal, you might want to look at these unique tour packages. You’ll have a vast selection of places you can visit, as well as different kinds of women you can meet.

Start your year right and find someone who can complete the rest of your New Year. With a determined heart, you’ll be able to find this special someone in no time.