New Year’s is always a symbol for festivities and celebrations. Besides saying goodbye to a year of your life, you are also welcoming a new one. Throughout history, several traditions actually emerged from these celebrations. Some were born in wars, others from religious beliefs. Either way, some of these traditions are so weird that they became viral. As we get ready to countdown for the end of this year, here is a countdown of the weird New Year’s traditions from different cultures.
Hungary
In Eastern Europe, several countries have a belief system based on previous spiritual events. Hungary for example, calls their New Year ”Silvester.” Actually, some of theirNew Year’s traditions ”include making a lot of noise to scare off demons and evil spirits.” In fact, doing laundry or sewing on New Year’s Eve is considered an offense to the spirits. Moreover, in other parts of the country, many believe that if your first visitor of the year is a male, then you’ll have a lucky year ahead. Also, washing your face in cold water with a red apple supposedly increases your chances of staying healthy.
Germany
Not much different from Hungary. The Germans are also known to have some weird New Year’s traditions. Although in Germany they welcome the New Year with Champagne and food (like the rest of us,) they also have some weird customs. In fact, since the 70’s, it has become a tradition to watch TV recording of an English movie filmed in Germany called Dinner for One. However, this us not the weirdest part. According to reports, German customs include ”dropping molten lead into cold water; the shape of the lead resulting in a prediction of the future. Also, a portion of the food eaten on New Year’s Eve is left on plates until after midnight to ensure plentiful food in the coming year.”
China
We all know that China have their own calendar, thus, their own New Year’s date. However, some of their traditions during the entire New Year’s week, (yes, it’s a whole week) are super strange. For example, in China, it’s forbidden to mention anything related to ”sickness” or ”death” on New Year’s Eve. In fact, both January 1st and the New Chinese Year are included. Additionally, they must do a thorough cleaning of the house to sweep out any bad luck from the old year, and then perform a lion dance to bring good luck.
Spain
Finally, Spanish New Year’s traditions are not out of the ordinary. However, they are weird because no one can explain the myth or early traditions that it came from. All Spanish people celebrate the night with their families, but only until midnight. After that, the tradition is to enjoy a night out with friends. The last 12 seconds before midnight, Spanish people bring out 12 grapes, and try to eat all of them before the clock hits midnight. It is very commonly believed that each grape represents a month, and if you can eat all of them, then you are to have great luck that year.
Photos: Freepik.
