People all around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve in various ways. Here are five traditions from different cultures used to ring in the new year.
Canada and the United States — Watch the ball drop in New York City
In North America, specifically in Canada and the United States, it is very common for people to watch the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square. This tradition began at the end of 1907 when the owner of the New York Times, Adolph Ochs, created the countdown to the ball drop to bring attention to the newspaper’s new office and to replace what used to be a huge firework spectacular. The ball was originally designed by Artkraft Strauss and has been updated four times since to include new technology.
Spain — Eat 12 grapes
The tradition of eating 12 grapes, called las doce was de la suerte, was born in Spain in the late 19th century. This tradition has since become increasingly popular online and has been changed and adapted for the times. Still, the heart of it remains the same: between the stroke of midnight and 12:01, you must eat 12 green grapes to have good luck in the new year. The story of this tradition’s origin is debatable, but some believe that it started when growers in Alicante had an impressive harvest and had to find a way to sell all their grapes.
Scotland — The first footing
In Scotland, one New Year’s tradition is the “first footing,” which says that the first person to cross through the doorway into one’s home after the stroke of midnight sets the tone for the rest of the year. The best kind of the first footer is someone with dark hair, and it is traditional for the first footer to carry a lump of coal. While all the other traditions seem self-dependent, the first footing is the luck of the draw. You’ve just got to hope that it’s a handsome and mysterious stranger and not your boring Aunt Sue.
Japan — Eat soba noodles
Some Japanese people start the new year by eating soba noodles, a tradition that dates back to the Kamakura period. Historically, Buddhist temples would hand out these noodles to the poor, and because the noodles are firm in texture, it is believed that chewing them symbolically separates, or breaks one away, from the year that has just passed.
Greece — Hanging an onion outside the front door
A popular tradition in Greece is to hang a squill onion from the island of Crete on your door. After the New Year’s Day church service, an onion is purchased and brought home to be hung from a doorway inside the house. Onions represent growth and rebirth, and they are also an important symbol of fertility. Its place in the home helps facilitate growth and rebirth in the upcoming year.
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While many countries have ascribed New Year’s traditions, celebrating the new year usually has more to do with the actions of individual people rather than their cultural background. Still, it is exciting to learn about and participate in the New Year’s traditions that have become popular in other places in the world so that we can better understand one another going into 2025.