Check It Out: Soon we’ll say “goodbye 2025” and “hello 2026”

By Joan Janzen

A grandpa sat back in his recliner on New Year’s Day and said to his little grandson, “I remember last year like it was yesterday!”

Before we know it, Christmas will be over, and we’ll be ushering in a new year. So I thought it would be interesting to share how people all over the world celebrate on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

I have friends in Nova Scotia who have a lot of fun going for a Polar Dip on New Year’s Day, taking a plunge into freezing cold water.

People in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries eat a grape every time the clock chimes at midnight. The purpose is to bring good luck, good health, and joy for the next 12 months, with each grape representing a month of the year.

In Finland, people melt miniature tin horses in a pan, then take the molten tin and pour it into cold water. Whatever shape the tin hardens into is supposed to be an indication of what the new year will bring.

Meanwhile, in Ireland, folks take a loaf of hard bread and smack it against the walls of their houses in hopes that the loud noise will drive bad luck out of their homes. I think you’re beginning to realize there are a lot of superstitious traditions on New Year’s Eve!

Egyptians shine lights on their pyramids on New Year’s Eve, though I’m not sure why. South Africa, Australia, and China are just a few countries that celebrate with fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve.

In Denmark, residents save their chipped china and plates for New Year’s Eve. After the clock strikes midnight, people throw their chipped dishes at their friends’ front doors. It’s supposed to release any grievances from the previous year—a sort of stress reliever, I guess. The bigger the pile of dishes found outside one’s door, the better, since it represents your popularity.

Kissing at midnight is one of the most popular New Year’s traditions all over the world. In Venice, tens of thousands of people get together for an outdoor celebration and kiss at midnight.

Throughout Latin America, you’ll see shops filled with strings of different colours of underwear for sale. On New Year’s Eve, people are supposed to wear the colour of their choice: red for love, gold for wealth, and white for peace.

If you love food, you would enjoy celebrating New Year’s Day in Estonia, where you’re supposed to eat seven, nine, or twelve meals on New Year’s Day. It is believed the number of times you eat is the amount of strength you will have the following year.

In both Mexico and Greece, a king’s cake is served on New Year’s Eve. Whoever gets the slice with a gold coin in it is king or queen for the day. But they also have the responsibility to host the New Year’s party the following year.

On a recent holiday, my son and daughter-in-law discovered that people in Thailand celebrate their New Year festival in April, marking the end of the dry season. They take to the streets for a three-day water fight, and everyone gets soaked!

Meanwhile, on New Year’s Day in Siberia, divers take to the negative-49-degree water and set up a decorated fir tree on the floor of a lake.

In Ecuador, citizens walk around their houses or around the block at midnight, pulling their suitcases. This tradition is supposed to bring safe travels in the new year.

The cold New Year in Japan is warmed up with a hot bowl of soup on New Year’s Eve. The longer the noodle, the longer your life will be.

I was listening to a young woman who grew up in Russia explain that the people there don’t celebrate Christmas on December 24 and 25, but have similar traditions to ring in the New Year. December 25 is a regular workday, but schools are closed for two weeks around the New Year’s holiday.

Every household decorates a fir tree, and they enjoy a big family dinner on December 31 with lots of food, including caviar and traditional salads. At midnight, they turn on their televisions, watch the main clock on Moscow’s Red Square, and celebrate the countdown with champagne and fireworks.

Grandpa Christmas visits the children, but he is a more serious version of Santa. He is generally tall, wearing a long red or blue coat, and has a long pointed beard. He gives gifts to kids who are behaving well. His helper is his blonde granddaughter, who helps hand out presents. Parents also have gifts underneath the fir tree for their children to open on New Year’s Day.

As we celebrate the New Year, we all remember last year like it was yesterday. I can assure you I won’t be celebrating by eating 12 grapes, sucking long noodles, throwing a hard loaf of bread at my house, going for a polar dip, or throwing dishes at a friend’s front door.

I prefer to trust in wise proverbs like this one: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year. Thanks for taking the time to “check it out.”