Five, four, three, two, one... The
clock strikes twelve around the world as past becomes present and we are launched
into the arrival of the New Year. Raising glasses, popping off fireworks, or
grabbing a significant other and pulling them in for a midnight kiss are some
New Year’s traditions that many practice faithfully. But what if you wanted to
switch up your routine this year? Spicing up the celebration can be easy when
you pull inspiration from around the globe. We all welcome the New Year with
the same enthusiasm, but from South America, to South Africa, everyone throws
their party a little differently. In the Philippines,
for example, wearing polka dots and eating round fruits is supposed to ensure a
prosperous new year; in Spain,
wolfing down handfuls of grapes as the clock strikes 12 is said to have the same
effect. In other parts of the world, the purifying power of fire is often used
in ceremonies. During the Scottish festival of Hogmanay parades of village men
swing giant blazing fireballs over their heads as they march through the
streets. In Panama, effigies of popular celebrities and political
figures—called muñecos—are
burned on bonfires. Other bad-spirit-banishing customs are less fiery and more
fun, like the Danish tradition of jumping off chairs at midnight (which gives
new meaning to the term “leap year”). No matter how odd they may seem to us,
though, these customs share an optimism that’s hard not to appreciate. Out with
the old, in with the new!
By Delaney Davis Oh So REEL
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