More New Year’s Traditions From Around The World – 2024

Today is the last day of 2024. Tomorrow starts a brand new year, with new opportunities and fresh beginnings. Tomorrow, it will be 2025. Last year, I shared some fun New Year’s traditions from around the world. The World Celebrates A New Year – 2024 Today, I am going to share even more fun New Year’s traditions with you.

I have two from Ireland for you. One, from last year. 1) Setting an extra plate at the table for any loved ones lost in the prior year. 2) and the new one for this year is to make sure the mistletoe is placed (or holly or ivy) under your pillow on December 31, so you can dream of your future partner. 

Onions on the front door? In Greece, that is exactly what they do for New Year’s celebrations. It’s customary to hang bundles of onions above their doors as a way of inviting in good luck. Why onions? To the Greeks, onions are symbols of prosperity because they sprout even when no one is paying attention to them. On New Year’s Day, parents also wake up their children by gently bonking their kids on the head with the onions that were outside. It’s a tradition with a lot of layers.

In Denmark, they jump into the new year. They stand on a chair and “leap” into January at midnight. The effort is rewarded, since it’s supposed to be bad luck if you forget.

Making New Year’s resolutions is something most of us do, yet the vast majority of us do not follow through with them. Most of the time they are abandoned before we really give them a chance. But did you know people have been making New Year’s resolutions for over 4,000 years, starting with the Babylonians? Babylonians, were one of the first cultures to actually celebrate the changing of the year, and they made promises to pay debts or return borrowed objects. Other than my old standards, which I can always work on and always need improvement, like loosing weight, getting into better shape again (other than round) and trying to be a better person, I haven’t made any new resolutions for the upcoming year yet. I guess I still have a little more time to think about it though. I have until midnight tonight. 🙂

In Russia, (or so I’ve read, so forgive me if I am wrong) gift giving actually takes place on New Year’s Day rather than Christmas because Christmas was forbidden in Soviet Russia. Presents were delivered not by Santa but by Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, often aided by his granddaughter, Snegourochka.

I will conclude this year’s New Year’s celebratory traditions with something I think we all do, regardless of our background; kissing our loved ones at the stroke of midnight. The tradition comes from both English and German folklore, which believed that it’s “the first person with whom a person came in contact that dictated the year’s destiny.” Their advice – choose to kiss wisely.

Happy New Year everyone. May 2025 be a good year for all, filled with good health, prosperity and happiness. Out with the old and in with the new. ‘Til next time.