Weird and Strange New Year’s Celebration

New Year’s Day is the most anticipated feast all over the world, and celebrated in different customary traditions, culture and practice by different countries. In East Asia, Mainland China and Taiwan, they believe in Feng Shui and Chinese Zodiac signs, and this practice are commonly believe to happen after the New Year’s Eve celebration. And believe that the Chinese Animal sign of next year will reflect the economy, luck of every business and individuals. Weird beliefs sometimes are strange, but sometimes this beliefs happen, and the practice of this traditions, will be pass trough, to the next generation.

1) New Year’s Tradition, China

Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year or Spring Festivals, is the most important and awaited Chinese Holidays and traditions, and it is based on the Lunar-solar Chinese calendar, that’s why it is commonly called “Lunar New Year”. The first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar (Chinese Pin yin: Zheng Yue), and it ends on the 15th day, the Lantern Festival. Chu Xi or New Year’s Eve means ‘Year-pass-Eve’. Kong Hee Fat Choi a New Year’s Greetings on Chinese Lunar New Year.

Hong Bao in Mandarin, Ang Pao in Min Nan, Taiwanese Hokkien, Lai See in Cantonese, Sae Bae Don in Korean and Li Xi in Vietnamese, (Red Chinese envelope or Red Packet), a monetary gift given during holidays, special occasions and the major Chinese Festival, the Lunar New Year.

Sheng Xiao or the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates yearly to an animal sign that ascribed to an individual, business and homes, according to the 12 year cycle and represents 12 different types of personalities. The 12 animal signs are Rat/Mouse, Ox/Buffalo, Tiger, Hare/Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep/goat/ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig/ Boar.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese System of relating to beauty rather than any consideration used by laws of Astronomy (Heaven) and Geography (Earth), to help improve life by receiving positive Qi (pronounced as Chi). The Qi is an active form of principle of any living things. Feng Shui of today is practiced not only by Chinese, but also by the westerners, used in architectural, interior designs, buildings, offices, homes, or moving the furniture around the offices and home purposes.

Chinese beliefs that when you hang “Bagua” or PA Kua on your front doors, the Chi energy enters your house and prevent your home from evil spirits and bad luck. Bagua or Pa Kua have 8 symbols used in Taoist cosmology representing fundamental principles of reality, of 8 concepts, and the New Year will be more prosperous and lucky year.

2) New Year in Vietnam (Tet Nguyen Dan or simply Tet)

Tet Nguyen Dan, or much popular in shortened term Tet,is the a major festival in Vietnam, and marking the arrival of Lunar calendar, a Lunistar calendar. The Vietnamese New Year occasion is for the pilgrimage and family reunions, like visiting relatives, temples, and to forget the trouble from the past year with the hope of a better and good luck coming year. “Hoi xuan” (Spring Festival) or Tet is celebrated on the first day of Spring.”Tat Nien” (before New Year’s Eve), Giao Thura (New Year’s Eve), and Tan Nien (New Year’s Day),doing the preparation before New Year’s Day until after New Year festival.

Banh Tet, a traditional dish in Vietnam served on New Year’s day. Banh Tet, is made of sticky rice cakes, and pickled scallion heads.

3) Lo Shang, Malaysia (Chinese Lunar New Year)

The highest tosser of Yue Shang traditional New Year’s dish in Malaysia, a higher and better fortune for the coming year. The Lo Shang, means the tossing of the “Yue Shang” dish, prepared with few Chinese ingredients, representing 7 colors of the rainbow, pickled ginger, crackers, shredded carrot, pomelo flesh, jelly hish, ground peanuts, sesame seed and raw fish as sashimi.

Pomelo or Loke Yau, a popular gifts of the Cantonese, as the word “yau”, sounds like the Cantonese word for abundance.

4) Seollal, Korean New Year

Sebae, a traditional bow observed during Seollal and other special holidays. Korean children wish every parents and elderly with a Happy New year by one traditional bow (rites with repeated bow more than one bow, are usually respect for the dead), and the words “Saehae bok manhi badeuseyo” (Hangul) which translate to please receive many blessings in the New Year”.

“Deokdam” is a word of wisdom, greetings by Korean parents during Seollal (New Year’s Day), and giving new year’s money to the children in the form of crisp money. Some parents, instead giving out crisp money, they gave their children fruits and “ddeok”(rice cakes). Most of the Koreans celebrate “Seollal” in their provinces in the East coast of Gangneung and Donghae in Gangwon, to meet the ‘first rays of the New Year’s sun’.

5) New Year’s Day, Japan (Osechi-iyon or Osechi)

Kadomatsu is a traditional decoration during Japan’s “Osechi-iyon” or just plain “Osechi (New Year’s Day).  They also organize “Bonenkai”(forget the year parties”, usually held to say goodbye to the old year along with the past problems and troubles. “Otodoshidamas” is another tradition of giving small gifts or ‘okane’ (money) to children. Another tradition is the ringing of bell 108 times, to get rid of the old year’s 108 troubles, debts, disagreement and bad habits.

“Bonenkai” or ‘forget the year parties’, Japanese New Year’s tradition, held to to say goodbye to the old year with the past problems encountered. “Otoshidamas” or small gifts or okane (money) for the children, are the other traditions that Japanese practiced yearly during New Year in Japan.

6) New Year’s Tradition in the Philippines

Wearing polka dots dress on New Year’s day bring good luck, more wealth and success for the coming year. This belief was pass generation to generation by Filipino ancestors.

Tossing coins inside the house at the strike of 12 midnight on New Year’s Eve, brings good luck and prosperity in your home in the coming year.

In the Philippines, the traditional 12 or 13 round fruits are decorated on the table on New Year’s Eve. The fruits symbolizes each month of the year and prosperity and good luck for the coming year.

7) New Year’s Day in Russia (Traditional Dive)

In Russia,they celebrate New Year with most strangest and dangerous traditional dive in Baikal, the most largest and deepest freshwater reserve on Earth. Professional Siberian scuba divers, became very famous for performing the dangerous dive acts. The Professional scuba divers, make a hole in the iced-lake, and dive till 40 meters deep carrying New Year tree to the bottom of the lake, wearing heavy equipment weighing 100 kg.. and other divers will do the ritual dance around the tree, while the Ise Maiden and Father Frost (2 famous celebrities in Russia) are present to attend the Festivity and the divers would tale pictures with the celebrities.

New Years at the Cemetery, Talca, Chile

Sorry folks, this is not a celebration for All Souls Day, but a strange and weird tradition in a community in Talca, Chile City of celebrating New Year’s Eve until the following day in a community cemetery to celebrate New Year with their dead loved ones. This weird tradition began in 1995, when a family jumped over the cemetery fence to spend their New Year with their dead father, thus the tradition began and 5,000 locals in Talca practiced this strange tradition. After the Parish priest of the community finish the mass, the mayor of Talca open the cemetery gate for the public to celebrate New Year inside the cemetery at 11 pm before New Year’s Eve.

9) New Year Tradition in Bolivia

Strange and weird New Years tradition in Bolivia, is to buy ‘yellow underwear’ and must change your underwear at past midnight for good luck for the coming year and can attract a mate.

10) Wearing Red Underwear, Italian New Year’s Tradition

The Italians and Mexicans believed that wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve bring good luck.

11) New Year’s Tradition Spiritism in Mexico

The Mexicans believed that they could communicate with the spirits of the dead and New Year’s day is the best day for communicating with the spirits. In Taos Inn in New Mexico, they are offering a 15 minutes meditation and communicating with the spirit of your dead loved ones, at $15.

Ring shaped food or round shape, is a traditional food on New Year’s Eve in many part of the world, specially the Dutch people.

Crossing in the Street with a Suitcase on New Year’s Day, Mexico

In Mexico, this strange beliefs and traditional Crossing the street with a suitcase on New Year’s Eve, guarantee that you will travel on New Year’s day and have a new life in other countries. And maybe it really come true, since lot of Mexicans migrate in America and take all the risks just to cross the border.

12) Eating Black Eyed Peas, Alabama

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Eve are considered good luck. The tradition began at the end of the civil war.

In Raleigh, North Carolina a big ‘acorn’ is moved to the roof of the Raleigh Civic Center and they dropped the big acorn at midnight, equivalent to the “Big Apple”/ Ball that drops in Time Square at the same time. The Big Acorn symbolizes Raleigh and known as the “City of Oaks”

The Mt Olive Pickle Drop in North Carolina and home of the Mt Olive Pickle Company, and makes complete sense for them to celebrate by dropping a three foot lighted pickle at 7:00 EST on December 31.

13) New Year’s Tradition in Spain

Eating twelve pieces of grapes symbolizes each month of the year, and believed to bring good luck for the coming year.

14) New Year’s Tradition in Thailand, Songkran Festival

Songkran or New Year Festival not only in Thailand but in its neighboring countries like Cambodia, Burma and the Lao State. The Sanskrit in Thailand, meaning the beginning of the sun into any zodiac signs. Maha Songkran of Major Songkran, the original name of Songkran is compared from the other one when sun start to enter the Aries or Ram zodiac sign. This was adapted from the Indian Holi Festival in India.

15) New Year’s Tradition in Denmark

In Denmark, a strange and weird tradition of throwing breakable dishes at the neighbor’s door, on New Year’s Eve, but instead neighbors will get offended, they are indeed very happy to find a pile of broken plates, glasses, cups and saucer plates in their doorsteps on January 1. It means they have a lot of friends.

In Copenhagen, after the plate breaking , the locals watch the Royal Guard parade at the Royal Palace at Amalienborg Square.

16) Junkanoo New Years Parade, Bahamas

The Junkanoo parade in Bahamas is full of colorful costumes by participants and held twice during holiday season or Boxing Day on December 26 and the grand parade is held on January1, where thousand of visitors and locals gather to dance for the biggest party of the year in Bahamas.

17) New Years Tradition Irish Wind, Ireland

The single women of Ireland should place the mistletoe under their pillow hoping to catch their future husband. They also believe that mistletoe get rids of badluck if it will be handed to you. It was also an Irish belief that if the wind blows at midnight of New Years Eve from the west a good fortune will reign this year; but if the wind blows coming from the east , the British will be in force .

Another Irish New Year’s strange tradition is pounding the breads on doors and windows, to cast away evil spirits.

18) First Footing, New Years Tradition in Europe

In ancient Europe the they believe on the first person entering their home on New Years Eve or first day of New Year’s day, should be a dark-haired male, because blond hairs never bring good luck to the house. And the first visitor must bring gifts such as coins for prosperity and salt for flavor, bread for foods, or a bottle of whiskey representing good cheers. First footer can b a resident of the house.

19) New Year’s Tradition In India

Diwali is the festival of lights, and it is the end of the old year and start of the new year. The popular name of New Year in India is called “Vikram Samvat” in Hindu following the Hindu Lunar calendar or “Panochanga”.

The Gudhi Padwa should be hanged out of windows or display at the Maharashtrian homes. Gudhi is the symbol of the “Brahmadhwaj or Brahma’s flag, believed to ward off evil spirits, so prosperity and good luck will enter the house. The Gudhi should be placed at the right side of the main entrance of every home (right side symbolizes “active state of the soul”).

India have various kind of traditions practiced in various towns and municipalities in India.

20) Ancient New Years Tradition in Babylonia

In ancient Babylonia, the New Year’s tradition began in 4000 BC, on the first new moon, after the Vernal Equinox. The Babylonian celebrate their New Year for eleven days, and each day had different purpose and activities. Their very common New Year’s resolution is to return back to its owner the farm equipments or tools that they borrowed. Every year, they stripped off the King of all his powers and undergo a humiliation ritual, and will be hit by the priest and isolate the king for three days alone to meditate and pray. The ceremonies of restoration will be held for the king’s re-appearance to assure to perform his duties and that the nature will support the king in the coming year.

The Old man symbolizes the Old Year, and the Baby symbolizes the coming New Year.