Around the world people have celebrated or are continuing to celebrate the start of a brand new year.
Some of the most interesting celebrations and traditions happen in our current program destinations. Read on to find out how people observe the new year in ten different countries!

Canada

• Most cities in Canada put on elaborate fireworks displays. Niagara Falls is well known for hosting the largest free concert and firework show in the country.

• Winter sports like skiing and ice skating are enjoyed during this season. In recent years it’s become very popular, especially for those who live in rural areas, to go night ice fishing on New Year’s Eve.

• Known as the ‘Polar Bear Plunge’, especially adventurous Canadians will brave a dip into a nearby frigid lake, river, or ocean, on January 1st as a way to reboot and recharge for the year ahead. Polar bear plunges have been taking place in the country since the 1920s. 
  

Chile

• A typical Chilean New Year celebration consists of partying until late in the evening, taking in fireworks displays, and having at least 1 traditional ‘Cola de Mono’ drink. Translated as a ‘monkey’s tail’, this holiday drink consists of Aguardiente liquor, coffee, milk, and cinnamon.

• There are many different New Year traditions and superstitions in Chile. Want more travel opportunities on your calendar? If so, in Chile, you’ll need to carry empty luggage around the block before the clock strikes midnight.

• Throwing open all windows and doors before 12:00 pm is thought to clear out old negative energy and welcome positivity.

China

• Chinese New Year also known as Spring Festival is a 15 day celebration of festivities that starts with the new moon that often falls between January 21 and February 20th.

• This extended celebration includes a variety of activities. During this time, people typically give their homes a thorough cleaning and decorate with red lanterns and paper cuttings to attract  good luck and prosperity. Family members return home for a reunion and share special regional foods like Jiaozi (dumplings) and Dayu Darou (whole fish or meat).

• Money in red envelopes is given to loved ones, particularly to young children, married couples, and the elderly.

• Fireworks are not just used for display- they are lit with the intention of helping to drive away bad spirits or energy to make way for good in the new year. Many people also partake in Shou Sui- the practice of lighting candles and staying up late with family and friends to keep a vigil over the night which is also believed to help ward off bad energy and bring forth good happenings in the year ahead.

• Many Chinese New Year celebrations feature a dragon dance. In China the dragon is an important cultural symbol that has many positive associations including: wisdom, power, dignity, fertility, and auspiciousness.

Ireland

• In Ireland during New Year’s Eve dinner traditionally it’s important to set out a place at the table and unlock the doors both as a way to remember loved ones that have passed on in the past year and as a way to allow them to visit.

• People looking for love in the next year may consider putting holly, mistletoe, or ivy under their pillows on January 1st. It’s thought that this ritual will cause one to dream of their future partner.

• Many Irish believe starting with a clean slate for the year begins with cleaning their homes from top to bottom for a guaranteed fresh start.

Italy

• Italians also appreciate having a New Year’s Eve feast with family and friends. Typical celebration foods include: Cotechino- large spiced pork sausage, Lentils for good luck as they’re thought to resemble coins, and Panettone-a sweet bread filled with raisins, candied fruit and almonds. Many Italians also eat 12 grapes at midnight in a similar tradition to Spain’s.

• Watch your head! More of an ancient tradition but still often practiced in the southern part of the country, before midnight some Italians will throw old items like pots, pans, furniture, etc out of a window, as a way of welcoming all things new.

• Many Italians will light a fire on the last day of the year (an act which can also hold religious symbolism-as an invite to Mary to warm Jesus by the flames).

Japan

• Known as shōgatsu, New Year’s Day is the most important holiday in Japan. It’s a special occasion meant to be spent with family. Japanese families typically spend the day visiting local shrines or temples. They also gather together to share special dishes like ozoni (a soup with rice cakes) and otoso (sweetened rice wine).

• January 1st is an important day for firsts in Japan. Many people make it a point to watch the first sunrise of the year, believing doing so sets the day up to be calm and filled with joy, while also setting a similar overall tone for the year. Many also believe the first dream of the year is symbolic of the year ahead. You are in for a good year if your dream includes either Mount Fuji, a hawk, or an eggplant.

• It’s a very popular custom to send New Year cards to friends and family. Many people ensure their cards are postmarked for January 1st.

Peru

• The holiday season in Peru occurs during summertime! So many Peruvians like to head to a nearby beach to frolic for New Year’s celebrations.

• Some Peruvian’s may take a bath with certain colored flowers if they are desiring something specific in the year ahead. Different flower colors represent different things, for example roses symbolize love. This practice is known as ‘Baño de Flores’.

• Just like in Spain and Chile, Peruvians enjoy eating 12 grapes before midnight. Another food related tradition involves putting three potatoes under a chair. One potato is unpeeled, one is half peeled, and the other is completely peeled. At midnight without looking, you’ll need to pick a potato to find out what kind of year you’ll have when it comes to finances. Picking the potato with no skin means you’ll have no money, while choosing the half peeled potato means you’ll have a normal year, and finally choosing the completely peeled potato means your destined for economic windfalls.

• Many people will wear specific colors for New Year’s Eve or day depending on what they hope to call to them in the next year. Yellow represents luck and happiness, green means money, red signifies love, and white stands for health or fertility. Yellow undergarments are especially popular in Lima.

Spain

• In Spain, people like to spend time gathering with family and friends over a large meal. As the new year countdown approaches everyone will be prepared with 12 grapes. Listening for a local clock or watching a national broadcast, family and friends will try to eat 12 grapes before the end of 12 rings sounded to signify each month in the new year. Eat all your grapes in time and the next year will be filled with good luck and prosperity!

• One of the most famous New Year countdowns takes place in Puerta Del Sol, in Madrid. Thousands of people gather in the city center to celebrate and of course eat grapes together.

• Also typically night owls, many Spaniards enjoy staying out late on New Year’s Eve and top their celebrations off with churros and chocolate in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.

United Kingdom

• During the Welsh tradition of Dydd Calan on New Year’s Day,  children and often choirs will go door to door to greet neighbors who in return hand out sweets and sometimes money.

• All over the UK thousands of people make it a tradition to jump in chilly bodies of water on New Years Day, sharing the same sentiment with Canada, that a cold dip recharges a person for the year ahead. Scotland is famous for having The Loony Dook celebrations, where participants dress up in costumes before taking an icy plunge.

• In Scotland, the first person to cross your threshold after midnight will represent the kind of year you’ll have, according to the old tradition called ‘First Footing’. It’s believed it’s good luck to have a dark haired person be the first to cross with a trinket of coal (in current times, a gift). Fair-headed visitors have been thought to bring bad luck.

• All over the UK just before midnight people stop their festivities to sing Auld Lang Syne together and then hug one another as the clock hits 12:00.

United States

• As the US is a melting part of cultures, there is an amalgamation of different New Year traditions and celebrations throughout the country. The most famous American celebration on New Year’s Eve is the countdown ball drop at Times Square in New York City. The ball drop is so popular that other American cities have taken to dropping their own items in a countdown to 12:00 pm. A music note drop  occurs in Nashville, Tennessee and a great sardine descends in East Port Maine.

• As a tradition, American’s are often in search of a special someone to share a kiss with as the clock strikes midnight.

• What’s on the menu for New Year’s meals? That depends where you are in the US! It’s customary to have black-eyed peas in the Southern states. Pork, sauerkraut, and pretzels are all must have foods in certain states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Tamales and tamale making is a cherished practice in many western and Southwestern states. 

• New Year resolutions are popular with Americans. Many people will create a list of goals or improvements they would like to accomplish in the next year.