Happy New Year 2025: How New Year is celebrated around the world, you’ll be surprised by the traditions and rituals
As the new year dawns, we all come together to celebrate with joy, hope, and a sense of renewal, even though we know that little changes. The arrival of a new year symbolises fresh opportunities and possibilities for growth. While the sentiments behind the celebration are universal, the way people around the world ring in the new year varies. Here’s a glimpse of how different cultures celebrate this special time.
1. Japan
In Japan, New Year, known as Oshogatsu, is a time for purification and new beginnings. Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times to cleanse the 108 earthly desires. Families also prepare traditional foods like osechi ryori and clean their homes to welcome the new year with a fresh start.
2. Scotland
Scotland’s Hogmanay celebration is filled with unique traditions. One of the most popular is “first footing,” where the first person to enter a home after midnight brings gifts like whiskey, coal, or shortbread. A visitor with black hair is considered particularly lucky!
3. Brazil
In Brazil, many people wear white clothing to symbolise peace and harmony, and celebrate by jumping over seven ocean waves, making wishes for the new year. They also honor Yemanja, the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea, by offering candles and flowers to the ocean as a sign of respect and hope.
4. South Africa
In South Africa, people dispose of old appliances and furniture as part of a custom that symbolizes clearing the way for fresh opportunities in the year ahead. This practice is believed to bring good fortune and positive energy for the future.
5. Germany
In Germany, the tradition of “Bleigießen” involves melting lead and pouring it into cold water, where it forms shapes that are interpreted as omens for the new year. A heart shape, for example, symbolizes love, while a ring represents marriage.
6. New York
The iconic Times Square Ball Drop in New York City has been a tradition since 1970. The 12-foot-diameter crystal ball, adorned with 2,688 crystal triangles and lit by 32,000 LED lights, drops at midnight, marking the start of the new year. Musical performances and festivities add to the excitement of this global celebration.
7. Denmark
In Denmark, people celebrate by smashing old plates against the doors of friends and family on New Year’s Eve. This custom symbolizes letting go of past grudges and starting fresh in the new year. The number of broken plates outside your door is said to determine your luck for the coming year.
8. Philippines
In the Philippines, a tradition called “the twelve round fruits” involves arranging twelve different round fruits, such as grapes, oranges, and pineapples, on the table. The round shape represents coins, and the belief is that it brings prosperity and wealth for the upcoming year.
9. Greece
In Greece, an onion is hung on the door on New Year’s Day as a symbol of fertility and rebirth. Greeks also tap onions on their children’s heads to wake them up in the morning, hoping for good health and growth in the year ahead.
10. Spain
The “Twelve Grapes of Luck” tradition in Spain dates back to the early 1900s. At midnight on December 31st, Spaniards eat one grape for each chime of the clock, representing each month of the new year. If they manage to eat all twelve grapes, they are said to have good luck and wealth throughout the year.
These fascinating traditions reflect the diverse ways people around the world celebrate the beginning of a new year, each with its own meaning and symbolism. Whether it’s through purification, food, or rituals, the new year is a time for hope, renewal, and the promise of fresh beginnings.