A lot can happen in 365 days, but according to these superstitions and traditions, New Year’s Eve and the very first day of the year mark the beginning of what will come ahead.
A new year is a great occasion to recharge. To kickstart your year from day one! To refresh our calendar we usually celebrate by dressing up, going out, and clinking glasses.
However, when it comes to customs and traditions, people across the globe embrace some bizarre superstitions to ring in the new year.
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Some are quite popular while some are lesser known than others. And many are downright spooky which could give you jitters about starting your new year ahead.
Significantly, below are 11 weird New Year’s superstitions and traditions worldwide that make December 31 feel more like October 31.
11. Say Yes to Garbage
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According to this superstition, nothing, not even garbage, should be removed from your house on New Year’s Day.
If you do throw something out of your house, it will set the tone for everyone and everything to leave you throughout the year.
It was even a custom back in the Victorian era, although years later some believed you could get rid of things with no problems, unless you replace whatever you throw out with something new.
10. Sleeping in Graveyards
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In Chile there’s a tradition to spend the night of the New Year’s eve in a graveyard, sleeping close to your deceased family’s gravestones. Seems a tad more creepy than other traditions to welcome the new year.
9. ‘Unlucky’ Women
Now this is absolutely bonkers! Back then people believed that bad luck acquired on New Year’s Eve was at the hands of women.
If by any chance, a woman were the first person to call you on New Year’s Day, you would be prodded with bad luck.
Consequently, in 1866, doors were usually locked up to avoid females entering your house, as it was considered unlucky for females to be the first person to enter a house on New Year’s Day.
8. New Year Moon
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According to folklore, the color and size of a moon can predict the following year. If the moon is big and bright, expect a generous year ahead.
But if the moon is reddish, the year ahead will be abysmal and inferior. Looks like the moon has got a rich tradition in our cultures.
7. What’s the Colour?
On New Year’s Day, will the color of your underwear decide your destiny for the year ahead?
According to this superstition, if you’re looking for love and fortune, wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve guarantees luck and success for the upcoming year.
6. Evil Spirits
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Do you suspect any evil spirits lurking around your house at the end of the year, and you definitely don’t want them following you into a fresh new calendar year?
There are many cultures around the world that proceed with the traditions that are believed to rid you off the evil you acquired in the past year behind.
In some Japanese villages, people dressed as Namahage, the demons, terrorize villages and warn families of the consequences of being lazy in the New Year.
In Ireland, there’s a tradition where people bang bread against the wall to ward off evil spirits.
5. Burning of Scarecrows
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There’s nothing creepy about knowing the traditions of different cultures. But if you’re unfamiliar, seeing several burning scarecrows on New Year’s Eve might give you a deja vu of Halloween.
In Ecuador this is exactly a tradition, that dates back to 1895. It is believed that it would cleanse everything bad at the end of the year.
4. Sweep off the Negative Energy
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There seems to be a heavy focus on cleansing than celebrating the New Year. In some traditions, sweeping is said to get rid of negative energies in your house.
3. Make some noise
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According to Filipino tradition, making noise on December 31 helps to drive away evil spirits. So make sure your neighbors come knocking at your door.
Another superstition allows homeowners to open all the doors and windows just before midnight to give an eviction order to any bad juju that might be lingering around.
2. Table for the departed
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In some European New Year’s Eve customs, leaving the door unlocked and setting a place at the dinner table to welcome back the spirits of loved ones who were lost during the last year is advised.
Some people might think that Irish households are a revolving door of wanted and unwanted souls during this day.
1. The Right Foot
Ritualistically, in India, it is believed to start something new, one should set his/her right foot in first.
Sometimes to get the point across that they desire a positive year of fortune ahead, people even literally start the new year off on their actual right foot.
Despite all the good intentions poured in starting a New Year, people believe that some creepy things come along with it.
So these were some of the most weird superstitions that are followed in New Year across the globe.
Whether it’s a less-than-typical way to conjure positive fortune for the year ahead or straight-up horror stories, your perspective on the New Year’s superstitions and traditions is your own.
So do you follow any particular superstition in your tradition?
What’s your favourite New Year superstition? Or did we miss any? Comment below!
