Funny New Year traditions from different countries (11 photos)

The arrival of the New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year and is celebrated differently in different countries. There are rules that are universal for all countries, and there are funny features of each specific one.





German New Year



In Germany, this holiday is celebrated cheerfully, noisily, with a full table of treats and a Christmas tree. The Germans have a funny tradition - with the first strike of the chimes they climb onto tables and chairs, and with the last strike they joyfully jump onto the New Year, that is, onto the floor.

The tradition is funny, but if you started celebrating in advance, it is better not to do it - it is fraught with injuries.

Burn everything bad





Our traditional toasts are about leaving all the bad things behind last year. Radical Scots burn everything bad.

On New Year's Eve, they take out old barrels in which they once stored wine and whiskey, coat them with tar and set them on fire. Burning barrels are rolled down the main streets of every town in Scotland - this action symbolizes the burning of the old year with all its difficulties and problems.

Kissing in Bulgarian



If you have no one to kiss on New Year's Eve, then welcome to Bulgaria! This country has an interesting tradition - immediately after the chimes, the lights in the room are turned off so that people can kiss in the dark.

This tradition is called "a minute of New Year's kisses." It is believed that you can kiss any person you like and this kiss remains secret.

In the New Year - with a new name



The inhabitants of the "small islands" of Micronesia have a funny tradition, in order to live happily, comfortably and without any problems next year - they change their name.

After changing the name, evil spirits will not be able to find them - they are securely hidden. On January 1, Micronesians quietly whisper their new name in the ears of their relatives so that evil spirits do not overhear.

Bring in the red



A very nice Italian tradition is to wear red clothes on New Year's Eve. Local residents believe that the color red promises good luck. Before the New Year holidays, all store windows turn bright red, when sellers display all the accessories of this color in the most visible place. And sales are growing exponentially - after all, everyone wants more luck in the new year.

Swedes burn a goat



Europeans love to burn everything for the New Year. And the Swedes too. A huge 13-meter-tall straw “Eul goat” is subjected to ritual burning.

It is placed on the main square of the city of Gävle and solemnly burned on New Year's Eve. This symbolizes saying goodbye to the bad. Local residents find it very beautiful and fun.

Fight the Peruvian way



Celebrating the New Year in Peru is for extreme sports enthusiasts. It’s very interesting here to “leave everything bad in the old year”: local residents organize massive New Year’s fights, in which men, children, and women participate. Everyone is happy to beat each other up, believing that if they beat each other up for bad deeds in the past year, then fate will be merciful to them in the new year.

By the way, those who want to travel next year should pick up a suitcase and walk around their block with it. Moreover, this needs to be done five minutes before the New Year, and you need to be home exactly by 00:00.

Argentines throw documents



These guys also say goodbye to the old year in a unique way: on the last day of the year they throw unnecessary documents, old calendars, and forms out of the windows. By mid-afternoon on December 31st, the entire business district of Buenos Aires was covered in paper. Nobody knows where this tradition came from and what it is supposed to symbolize. But it's funny.

Japanese rake



If you want more luck, then you should stock up on a rake, in the Japanese style. They make them themselves from bamboo, decorate them with paintings, all sorts of talismans and hang them on the wall. This is how the Japanese “rakes in good fortune.”

New Year's wishes in the Land of the Rising Sun are made to the sound of bells, not chimes. And there are 108 of them, not 12. The bell strikes kill 6 human vices and 18 shades of each of them - greed, stupidity, envy, frivolity, indecision, anger.

Panama burns an effigy



Here, on New Year's Day, effigies are burned. And not just stuffed animals, but depicting famous personalities - actors, politicians, athletes. The scarecrow itself symbolizes the problems of the passing year.

Panamanians happily burn effigies of their president or Olympic champion. At the same time, they do not wish anything bad for them - in this way they express their respect and honor.