When you picture New Year celebrations, you probably think of fireworks, champagne toasts, a glittering ball dropping, and maybe a quick kiss at midnight. Yet around the world, people have taken the holiday in some truly off‑the‑wall directions. From daring wardrobe choices to midnight battles, the following ten customs prove that ringing in a new year can be as strange as it is spectacular. Below, we dive into the 10 strangest new year rituals that you’ll want to add to your bucket list (or at least avoid accidentally).
10 Strangest New Year Customs Explained
10 Colored Skivvies
The hue of your undergarments can actually influence your luck in several cultures when the clock strikes twelve. In Italy, for instance, it’s customary to don red underwear on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to usher in good fortune. The practice supposedly dates back to medieval times, when men wrapped a red cloth around their privates to shield their “family jewels” from witches prowling the streets after midnight, seeking to cast mischief.
Across South America, countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and Bolivia also attach meaning to the color of one’s intimate apparel. Red promises love, white offers peace, and yellow is said to attract wealth. It leaves you wondering how the lucky‑chic crowd feels when they decide to go commando on the big night.
9 Broken Plates
In Denmark, the midnight revelry includes a literal smash‑and‑grab of crockery. Residents keep old dishes throughout the year, then, as the clock chimes, they dash from house to house hurling plates against friends’ doors. The more shattered shards you find outside your doorstep, the larger your social circle is presumed to be, and consequently, the better your luck for the coming year. In recent years, those less inclined toward violent plate‑throwing have begun leaving pre‑broken pieces on doorsteps as a gentler alternative.
8 Stuffing Your Face With 12 Grapes
Spain’s midnight snack is a frantic race against the clock: twelve grapes, one for each stroke of twelve. The tradition, which can be traced back to at least 1895, was popularized by vine growers eager to sell their harvest in bulk. If you manage to pop all twelve grapes into your mouth before the final chime, the year ahead is said to be blessed with prosperity and good luck—provided you don’t choke.
7 Animal Whispering
In Romania, New Year’s Day is believed to grant animals the temporary gift of speech. Folklore holds that farmers will whisper well‑wishes into the ears of their livestock, hoping the creatures will understand and carry the blessings forward. Ironically, the superstition advises that you must NOT comprehend what the animals are saying; deciphering their words is thought to bring bad luck, while remaining blissfully clueless promises a fortunate year.
6 Sleepovers With the Dead
In the Chilean town of Talca, locals head straight to the cemetery on New Year’s Eve for an overnight gathering. The belief is that departed loved ones return to celebrate the year’s end, so the living set up fires, share meals, decorate graves, and even pitch tents among the tombstones. It’s a literal “spirit” party—though you might reconsider bringing a sleeping bag if you’re not a fan of nocturnal visits from ancestors.
5 Dropping Ice Cream
While most of us cringe at the sight of a melted scoop on the pavement, Swiss tradition embraces it. At the stroke of midnight, people deliberately drop ice cream onto the floor, believing the act summons an overflow of abundance for the year ahead. If a dollop of vanilla or chocolate can bring prosperity, you might just see a surge of scoops heading your way.
4 Lugging Suitcases
Colombians who crave adventure take a literal approach: as soon as the clock flips to twelve, they grab a suitcase and sprint around the block. The frantic dash is meant to signal a year filled with travel. Do it with gusto, and the universe supposedly rewards you with passport‑stamping opportunities throughout the coming months.
3 Talc Smearing
Thailand celebrates its New Year—Songkran—in April by dousing strangers with water and sprinkling talcum powder on them. The water symbolizes respect and cleansing, while the powder is thought to bestow blessings for the year ahead. In some regions, the water is mixed with fragrant flowers and traditional perfumes before being sprayed, turning the streets into a fragrant, slippery carnival.
2 Scarecrow Burning
Ecuadorians ring in the new year by lighting effigies—scarecrows adorned with the faces of pop‑culture icons, politicians, and other recognizable figures. The fiery spectacle, which traces back to an 1895 yellow‑fever outbreak, is meant to purge the previous year’s negativity. For those seeking extra luck, jumping over the burning figures twelve times without getting singed is said to guarantee good fortune.
1 Fist Fighting
Peru’s Takanakuy festival translates to “when the blood is boiling,” and it’s exactly what you’d expect: a community‑wide brawl. Participants—young and old, men and women—don brightly colored costumes, feast, drink, dance, and then square off in a ring to settle old grievances. The idea is that by letting anger out in a controlled environment, the community emerges more harmonious, ready for a fresh start.
About The Author: Jackie Haze currently is an MFA candidate living in New Orleans with her two chihuahuas, Bacchus and Lola. She has a smattering of publications, including memoirmixtapes, Via Nola Vie, Curve, and Happy Cow.