January 13, 2025 by Olivia Howe (‘26)
As the world welcomes the New Year at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, people around the globe celebrate with special traditions that express themes of acknowledgment for the past, hopefulness for renewal, and aspirations for the future. Traditions surrounding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day differ from place to place, showcasing a fascinating display of the varied ways people celebrate this occasion of change. These traditions can be very different from America’s classic NYC Ball drop, musical performances and new year’s resolutions, but all over the globe people celebrate the past year and look forward to the next together. The festivities mainly focus on eating an assortment of lucky foods, cleaning the home, making noise, and providing fun for children. Here’s a peek at how different countries welcomed 2025, along with their customs and ways of celebrating.
To name a few food-related events, Spain, Portugal, and parts of Latin America eat 12 grapes or raisins at midnight to symbolize each chime of the clock. This tradition, thought to provide luck and prosperity while warding off spirits, comes from the 19th century and is known as las doce uvas de la suerte. A similar tradition occurs in Italy, only it is done with 12 spoonful’s of lentils. The French welcome the New Year by serving crêpes, which are also eaten on La Chandeleur (February 2nd) and a light display at the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, attracting many Parisians.
The time of New Year’s is also a very popular time for deep cleaning the home. Similar to the practice of cleaning for the new year in America, in Scotland, a celebration known as Hogmanay takes place, when traditions such as the “first footing”, singing Auld Lang Syne, and a cleaning of the whole house are done at the end of the year so that everyone starts the new year refreshed. Their celebration ends with a large parade and a “polar plunge” into the water on the Firth of Forth rivers.
Many countries also dress in a certain way around New Year’s. Italians will throw their old clothing out of their windows for new things to come their way in the future. In Brazil, the Festa de Lemanjá takes place, where people dress in white and run to the sea at midnight to celebrate the Afro-Brazilian sea goddess Lemanjá, and jump over seven waves to symbolize New Year’s resolutions, peace, and spiritual cleansing.
Countries around the world celebrate New Year’s in fun and unique ways. A few fun and quirky traditions some places have is jumping as high as you can at midnight, typically off a couch or chair, is a fun way kids celebrate, as they believe it will help them grow taller in the New Year. In Mexico and other Latin American countries (notably Columbia), people walk around their neighborhoods or streets towing an empty suitcase that is believed to bring a lot of luck and travel in the New Year.
The New Year is celebrated in so many unique ways all around the world but regardless of the differences in these traditions, these events are all about reflection and hope, to start anew and be excited about the endless possibilities for our futures.