New Year’s Customs to Bring Good Fortune
January 1, 2016
January 1, the first day of the Gregorian calendar, is celebrated as New Year’s Day in much of the world. In most every country, New Year’s Day represents a new beginning, and almost every culture has one or more customary ways to celebrate the occasion. Many such customs involve tasks that must be taken care of before midnight on December 31. These include cleaning the house, getting rid of old furniture, and clearing all debts. The varied New Year’s customs are often steeped in superstition. Yet, these customs share the underlying theme of breaking with the old and starting the new year with a fresh, clean slate.
In the United States and many other countries, people go to New Year’s Eve parties. At midnight, bells ring, sirens sound, firecrackers explode, and everyone shouts, “Happy New Year!” Sydney, Australia, hosts one of the most enthralling of New Year celebrations. With the arrival of the new year, the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge is lit up with fireworks. The use of noisemakers and fireworks is based on the belief that the noise will scare away any bad spirits from the past year. Other methods can be used to accomplish this task. For example, in Romania, people put on bear costumes and visit neighbors at their homes to chase evil away.
Many customs meant to bring good fortune in the new year involve eating particular foods. In the southern United States, black-eyed peas and collard greens are eaten at the New Year to bring good luck. Frederick Douglass wrote that the black-eyed peas symbolized coins and eating them insured economic prosperity for the coming year. In many countries, eating a round or ring-shaped pastry symbolizes having “come full circle” and promises good fortune for the new year. People in Ireland enjoy a round soda bread called bannock. Dutch homes serve a round fritter called olie bollen. In Denmark a tall, ringed cake called Kransekage is topped with marzipan (almond paste). In Italy, a ring-shaped pastry called chiacchiere is traditional at New Year’s. And doughnuts are served in Poland, Hungary, and many other countries in Europe. In Switzerland, it is traditional to drop a dollop of cream onto the floor. The cream symbolizes the richness of the new year and it is considered bad luck to clean it up. In Spain, Portugal, and many countries in South America, people eat 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve, one at each chime as the clock strikes midnight. Each grape is said to represent a month in the upcoming year. If a grape is sour, it indicates that month may not be so fortunate.
First footing is a tradition observed on Hogmanay, the New Year’s celebration in Scotland. It is also a custom in Canada, and similar traditions exist in Greece and the Republic of Georgia. The term refers to the first person to set foot into the house at midnight on New Year’s Eve as people visit neighbors and friends. According to tradition, if the first person to enter is a dark, handsome young man carrying a piece of coal, whiskey, and bread, people will want for nothing in the new year. But you must be careful. If the first footer is cross-eyed or has eyebrows that meet in the middle, bad luck may be in store for the next 12 months.