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10 New Year Prayers From Various Countries

By: MerxWire

Countries globally have diverse New Year’s prayers. Modern people often welcome the New Year with delicious food and fireworks, but have you heard of the traditional way of welcoming the New Year?

New Year’s rituals symbolize bidding farewell to the past, gathering with family and friends to share joy, and looking toward the future. (Photo via unsplash.com)

New York, NY (Merxwire) – It’s another new year, and countries worldwide have different ways of praying to welcome the new year. They hope that the coming year will be safe and smooth, and good luck will continue. Here are some tips from 10 countries to welcome the New Year. If you want to get extra good luck in the new year, you might as well try these lucky traditional celebrations, which may bring good luck!

Denmark: Smash the Plate
Breaking or breaking things is not popular in Asia during the New Year, but in Denmark, it is a way to get good luck. When the Danes welcome the New Year, they will bring new or undamaged dishes to their friends’ houses, and smash them at each other, to get good luck in the coming year.

South Africa: Throwing furniture out of the window
When the clock strikes 12 o’clock on New Year’s Eve, South Africans throw old items (including electrical appliances and furniture) out of the window to symbolize getting rid of troubles and difficulties at the beginning of the new year and having a fresh start.

Spain: Eat 12 grapes in 12 seconds
The Spaniards eat 12 grapes at midnight to celebrate the New Year. As the bell rings, the Spaniards will follow the bell and eat a grape after each ring, for a total of 12 grapes, symbolizing good luck for the whole year.

Philippines: Find 12 round fruits
The round shape is the shape of a coin. Filipinos believe that wearing polka dot-patterned clothes and eating round food during the New Year can attract wealth in the new year.

Brazil: wearing white
Brazilians celebrate the New Year wearing white clothes, symbolizing peace and praying for good luck. Brazilian traditional customs will be in on New Year’s Eve, people wear white clothes to commemorate Yemanja, the guardian goddess of the sea, and hold a beach party to watch fireworks and welcome the first sunrise of the new year.

Mexico: Moving around with an empty suitcase
Mexicans take an empty suitcase out for a walk on New Year’s Eve because they think it represents an opportunity to travel and see everywhere in the coming year.

French: a stack of pancakes
In addition to foie gras and champagne, the French New Year’s dinner also includes pancakes. Because the round pancakes look like the sun, they are celebratory.

French people usher in the best New Year with a stack of pancakes (Photo via unsplash.com)

Italy: Eating lentils
Lentils, resembling ancient coins, are associated with wealth and prosperity in the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, Italians eat lentils, pork, and sausage together, symbolizing luck and prosperity for the upcoming year.

Cuba: Throw a bucket of water on the front door
The Cuban New Year tradition is to throw a bucket of water outside the door on New Year’s Eve to wash away a whole year’s bad luck, symbolizing the end of all bad things.

Japan: Listen to 108 bells
New Year’s Day is one of the most important holidays in Japan. The Japanese will ring the temple bell 108 times during the New Year, and the 108th time will ring at midnight on the New Year to welcome the new year.

After the epidemic is lifted, people have returned to traveling across continents. When facing celebrations with different cultural backgrounds, in addition to finding them novel and interesting, they also need to treat them with respect and understanding. After all, these celebrations have their own unique traditional customs, meanings and multicultural values.

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