New Year's Traditions.

byBtStew

381 followers

3 years ago

In many countries, New Year's celebrations begin on the evening of December 31—New Year's Eve—and continue into the early hours of January 1. Revelers often enjoy meals and snacks thought to bestow good luck for the coming year.

In Spain and several other Spanish-speaking countries, people bolt down a dozen grapes-symbolizing their hopes for the months ahead-right before midnight. In many parts of the world, traditional New Year's dishes feature legumes, which are thought to resemble coins. Others that herald financial success in the new year include lentils in Italy and black-eyed peas in the southern United States.

Because pigs represent progress and prosperity in some cultures, pork appears on the New Year's Eve table in Cuba, Austria, Hungary, Portugal, and other countries. Ring-shaped cakes and pastries, a sign that the year has come full circle, round out the feast in the Netherlands, Mexico, Greece, and elsewhere.

In Sweden and Norway, meanwhile, rice pudding with an almond hidden inside is served on New Year's Eve; it is said that whoever finds the nut can expect 12 months of good fortune.

Other customs that are standard worldwide include watching fireworks and singing songs. The most familiar song is "Auld Lang Syne" in many English-speaking countries. Making resolutions for the new year is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who promised to earn the gods' favor and start the year off on the right foot. (They would reportedly vow to pay off debts and return borrowed farm equipment.)

In the United States, the most iconic New Year's tradition is dropping a giant ball in New York City's Times Square at midnight. Millions of people worldwide watch the event, which has occurred almost every year since 1907.

Over time, the ball has ballooned from a 700-pound iron-and-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing nearly 12,000 pounds. Various towns and cities across America have developed versions of the Times Square ritual, organizing public drops of items ranging from pickles (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) to possums (Tallapoosa, Georgia) at midnight on New Year's Eve.