The end of the year is a joyous time to reflect on the year’s highlights while toasting to fresh beginnings and the next year as well as give some Happy new year wishes to your loved ones. Take a trip around the world to explore how different cultures and countries celebrate the turn of the calendar with their own distinctive Hny 2022 traditions, from rowdy beach parties and shattering dishes to spring cleaning and grape-eating.
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1. Plates shattered in Denmark
It is customary in Denmark to ring in the New Year by breaking dishes to ward off evil spirits. Every year on December 31, Danish merrymakers toss old plates, glasses, and dishware at the doorsteps of friends and family members as a token of affection, in the hopes of bringing good fortune to the home for the new year. When the clock strikes midnight, you could see individuals leaping from chairs or ledges, actually leaping into the New Year.
2. Junkanoo is a type of music that originated in the Bahamas.
The Junkanoo street carnival, a colourful exhibition of island culture, art, and dance, is a must-see New Year’s event in the Bahamas. Every year, beginning at 2 a.m. on January 1, throngs line the streets of Nassau to see this colourful show, which includes entertainers dressed in extravagant costumes. Cowbells, horns, and other musical instruments are utilised to create a cacophony of festive island rhythms that lead to an all-night street celebration.
3. Spain: Spectacular grapes
While North Americans toast to the New Year with glasses of Champagne, Spaniards are more likely to be spotted eating 12 lucky grapes as part of a superstitious New Year’s Eve custom. At the stroke of midnight, one grape for each chime of the clock is eaten in fast succession. The tradition originated in the early 1900s as a means for farmers to get rid of excess harvest and has now evolved into a popular Spanish tradition that is considered to bring success for the next year.
4. Nowruz is a Persian New Year.
Iranian New Year (Nowruz) heralds the coming of spring in the Northern Hemisphere as March ushers in a period of seasonal change and rebirth. For more than 3,000 years, the Persian diaspora has observed the New Year’s custom in Iran and across the world. Iranian households begin preparing for Nowruz weeks in advance by cleaning their homes thoroughly — a cleansing, purging, and regeneration process. Buying new clothing and preparing tables with a spread of seven symbolic things are also part of Iranian New Year rituals.
5. New Year’s Day in China
The Chinese New Year celebrates the start of a new year on the Chinese calendar and usually occurs in late January or early February. The 15-day festival begins with a family feast with symbolic delicacies like Chinese dumplings, noodles and rice balls. Children are given lucky red money envelopes as gifts, and businesses as a sign of good luck.
