By Donald Molloy
2018 has come and gone and now we are entering into a new year. New Year’s is a major event in America. Think about it: we have so many traditions to ring in the New Year. There is the popular Time Squares Ball drop, countless parties and so many fireworks displays. However, not a lot of people may be aware of the number of traditions other nations have to celebrate New Year’s around the globe. One such tradition is in Spain, people eat one grape for every tick of the clock at midnight, so twelve grapes in total. They believe this brings good luck for the new year. In Greece, onions are hung on the front door of homes to symbolize rebirth in the upcoming year. An especially odd New Year’s tradition occurs in Brazil, where some people decide to wear brightly colored underwear to ring in the coming year. People in Denmark smash plates against the doors of family members’ homes to celebrate. The Japanese ring bells 108 times to bring cleanliness and start with a new slate. My absolute favorite tradition is in Ireland, where they slam bread loaves against walls to supposedly ward off evil spirits. There are a lot of interesting traditions for New Year’s done across the world, maybe one of these even interested you enough to try when 2020 rolls around.
