3 Bizarre New Years Traditions
I’ve come to a rather unconventional conclusion: every New Year’s tradition was concocted by a lunatic. Seriously, people do some truly bizarre shit when they celebrate. For example, here in America, we guzzle down drinks, swap spit, set off explosives in the sky, and create a racket with pots and pans. Perhaps worst of all, we watch a ball drop (which, let’s face it, sounds a lot like watching puberty).
But wait, it gets weirder. Nutty customs abound all across the globe! To tickle your fancy, I’ve compiled a shortlist of quirky international New Year’s rituals. Brace yourselves for a wild ride.
1. Wear Bright Underwear
In countries like Mexico, Brazil, and Bolivia, folks kick off the New Year by donning colorful panties. The rules for the skivvies tend to vary, but most traditions encourage bright, radiant colors. Those who want to find love wear red underwear, and those who seek luck wear yellow underwear. I’m assuming if you want to get lucky, you wear orange?
The belief behind this tradition is that wearing brightly colored underwear can help “catch” good fortune. This makes no sense to me. Personally, when my underwear catches something, it ends up being shitty.
All joking aside, this tradition sounds like a lot of fun. Simply writing about it makes me happy. I mean, nothing is closer to a smile than tight underwear… they both make my cheeks go up.
2. Burn A Scarecrow
In Ecuador, they’ve got a rather peculiar New Year’s custom: burning scarecrows. On the last day of the year, young guys gather giant bamboo poles and dress them up like dolls. After stuffing them with newspapers and wood shards, the dolls are placed in their front yards. As midnight approaches, families gather outside and burn them down.
Talk about an unconventional bonfire! If a pile of burning bodies doesn’t ward off those pesky crows, it might be time to move.
The burning of the scarecrows symbolizes the passing away of the old year. It destroys all the negativity that has taken place and provides a fresher, brighter start. However, if this act leads to more bad things, like, say, your house catching on fire, you might want to put the lighter away.
Adding to the eccentricity, as the scarecrows burn, the young men of Ecuador dress up as women. [Insert flamer joke here.] Boy, nothing says celebration like a drag show! And hey, you can’t blame the dudes for being a little confused, considering they spent the entire day playing dress-up with life-sized dolls.
3. Throw Dishes At Neighbors
Denmark takes a delightfully destructive approach to ringing in the New Year: throwing dishes at your neighbors’ doors. Yep, you heard that right. Danes spend the entire year collecting dishes, and as soon as the calendar flips, they unleash their inner Olympians and hurl these breakables at their friends and family’s houses. I bet I can predict the most popular Danish New Years resolution: buy new kitchenware.
Strangely, this outlandish custom makes the victims happy. The family with the biggest tower of broken plates, glasses, bottles, and cups (and maybe a few windows) at their doorstep is considered to be the luckiest. They are crowned and honored for having the most loyal of friends. But here’s the burning question: are the friends loyal enough to clean that shit up?
Now, before you decide to adopt any of these traditions, it might be advantageous to first consider your own customs. I mean, just imagine the chaos (and the cost) of hosting a Greek New Year’s wedding!
14 Comments
Jim
great comedy. New Years gets better every year, colors of clothing gets brighter too!
Angelica
lol! Sweden don't have any weird new years tradition. I kinda wish we had! I want to throw plates at neighbours doors as well!
Stepherz
I'm totally down for wearing bright underwear. And short skirts. That way I can show off my new years resolution!
Steff
Sounds like I should avoid all contact with USA. :/
Here in Australia, most of us have fun by drinking lots of beer, mixed with Vodka or Techila (Excuse the bad spelling), then look for fights at low classed pubs. Sometimes I think we're not far from baboons. But I on the other hand, stay at home doing nerdy things like write novels, build websites and think up plans for world domination, at the same time wishing I lived in Berlin. But I love Australia. 🙂
Monnii
Wow, I can understand the bright underwear (I mean who wouldn't want to do that?) but the breaking dishes at friends? Yikes! I only do that at the people I'm pissed with!
What I did for this new years was the same thing that I've done for the past few years now; go to the bars with a fake I.D!
Dress Clothes
I think wearing bright underwear is really bizarre
Sindara
We just watch the ball drop. Boring as heck, I rather just watch normal tv or some stupid junk like that.
How about you love? How have you been? I haven't talked to you in ages! How's come! :clown:
Risa
lol this really made me laugh.especially the underwear bit.
But seriously I wore blue ones that said happy and nothing happened…>.<
I ended up going out to a club for new year's. No making out though or any of that stuff- I wasn't that drunk xD
Simone
Ohmy. I never there were such strange New Years traditions. I don't know about anyone else but I would love to do the last one but I know everyone would have that "WTF is she doing?! If she doesn't get her crazy ass here and clean this shit up…" look. It's pretty funny, in my head though.
Jhase
Wow, these might be custom in some places but if anyone breaks a dish on my front door and just leaves it there. I'm going to have spend some "alone" time with them. Not the good kind either.
I think I would do the second one, only in a field with possibly no grass what so ever so nothing can catch on fire. It'd be fun. We could roast hot dogs over a burning scarecrow. Make some S'mores. Golly, we could even jump out and have a old fashion dance off with the guitar.
Let me stop. These are fun, and I love other people traditions.
Also, TOOK YOU FOREVER JUSTIN.
😉
That is all. Welcome back to the world of the net, by the way.
Also to answer that question, no new years plans were for me. And my only custom is wondering what's so new about the new year outside the date change.
Holly
I don't think I have heard of any of these traditions before haha! They do sound fun though.
We just normally party at new year. I use to go a fancy dress party every year but this time I just went to my boyfriend's house which was really nice.
Happy New Year!
Christine
Haha, I love these!! The whole colorful underwear thing is hilarious. I'm pretty sure my Mom would love doing the dish throwing tradition at our next door neighbors because they drive her nuts, haha. For my NYE we did the typical American thing, drinking, and eating. Happy new year!!
Jolly Princess
Hahahah! You made me laughed so hard with these traditions. I am just thinking if you are the most “popular” in the neighbourhood you will have mountains of broken dishes to clean.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing YOU and YOUR LOVED ONES, ALL the BEST!
:clown:
Brian
I've got some neighbors who I wouldn't mind throwing dishes at :tongue: As to how I'll spend my New Years, I'm pretty sure it's going to be enjoying a night with an interesting blogger/actor/penguin/ all around awesome person…
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