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Ecuador: Burning effigies
On New Year's Eve, families in Ecuador gather outdoors to perform a ritual of burning a "straw scarecrow." While burning a scarecrow can be frightening and unsettling for many, in Ecuador, this act is considered a way to ward off bad luck from the past 12 months and hopefully bring good fortune and joy in the new year. Each family makes their own scarecrow from newspaper and scraps of wood, then burns it outside their home.
Burning effigies is seen as a way to ward off bad luck accumulated over the past 12 months.
Estonia: Eating 7 meals a day
In Estonia, it is traditionally believed that people try to eat seven meals on New Year's Day. They think this will ensure abundance in the new year. If a man eats seven meals on New Year's Day, he will have the same health as seven other men in the new year.
Nowadays, New Year's celebrations are a little different, especially in the capital Tallinn, where each family typically fills their feasts with plenty of wine and a variety of food.
Eating seven meals on New Year's Day symbolizes the wish for abundance throughout the year.
Ireland: Place a sprig of mistletoe under your pillow.
If you're hoping for a boost in your love life in the new year, you might consider the Irish tradition of placing mistletoe under your pillow before bed on New Year's Eve to wish for a better romantic relationship. In Ireland, single people often place sprigs of mistletoe, holly, or ivy under their pillows and hope to soon meet their soulmate.
The Irish, however, try to find love by placing a sprig of mistletoe under their pillows.
Chile: Celebrating the New Year in a Cemetery
Chileans have a unique tradition of celebrating the New Year with their entire family and ancestors at a cemetery. In fact, this tradition isn't about seeking good fortune, but rather an opportunity for families to gather and remember those who have passed away. The tradition began about 15 years ago when a family in the small town of Talca crossed the cemetery fence to celebrate the New Year near the grave of their deceased father.
Today, more than 5,000 people visit cemeteries each year, lighting candles, listening to classical music, and reminiscing with loved ones they believe are waiting for them to celebrate the New Year together.
Chileans once again spend New Year's Day with and remembering their deceased loved ones.
Japan: Ringing the bell 108 times
In Japan, the New Year, known as Oshogatsu, is a time for ostentatious celebrations, and all businesses typically close for the holidays. Japanese people often decorate the front doors of their homes with pine or bamboo branches and strings. They believe this decoration brings health, longevity, and wards off evil spirits. String is often considered a symbol of happiness and good fortune. Children receive otoshidamas – New Year's money – on the first day of the new year.
The Japanese often send New Year's greeting cards to friends and hold year-end parties to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one. On December 31st, temple bells are typically rung 108 times to ward off 108 misfortunes.
The 108 bell tolls symbolize the removal of 108 misfortunes.
Denmark: Smash the record
In Denmark, a fun tradition is to jump out of bed when the clock strikes midnight, marking the transition to the new year. Also in Denmark, on New Year's Eve, people traditionally throw their old plates in front of the doors of those they wish good luck with in the new year. Therefore, if you wake up on New Year's Day and see a pile of broken dishes in front of your door, don't be surprised – it's actually a good omen. People in Denmark even take pride in the number of broken plates left in front of their house at the end of New Year's Eve.
In Denmark, it is believed that the more broken plates there are outside the door on New Year's Day morning, the more friends and good fortune the homeowner will have in the new year.
