The celebration of the New Year is common in almost every country across the globe and every culture has their own practices and superstitions for kicking off the New Year right. What are some of your favorites?
- Pucker Up – One of the most popular New Year’s Eve superstitions is the midnight kiss. Many believe that your first encounter of the New Year will determine your romantic path for the next 12 months.
- Pay Attention to the Direction of the Wind – A long held belief in Ireland is that a Westerly wind on New Year’s Day means a prosperous year is ahead. However, an Easterly wind means that England will have a positive year and Ireland will miss out.
- Choose Your Colors Wisely – Brazilians traditionally throw white flowers, jewelry and rice into the ocean as an offering to the Goddess of the Sea. White is thought to attract peace and happiness for the new year. It is also believed that wearing red undergarments will spice up your love life in the New Year.
- Consider Which Direction Your Fish Moves – Many countries believe in eating fish for New Year’s – fish are considered a lucky food as their scales resemble coins and future wealth. Most fish also swim forward representing progress. In Germany and Sweden the lucky fish is specifically Herring and should be consumed at the stroke of midnight. One type of seafood to avoid is Lobster – their ability to move backwards means consuming the crustacean on NYE could bring setbacks in the New Year.
- Don’t Try This One at Home – Ancient sailors believed that killing a Wren on New Year’s Day and carrying its feathers throughout the year protects from shipwrecks.
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