5 Fun Facts about New Year’s Eve
Published on: 21/12/19
How will you celebrate the end of 2019? Will you be gathering with family to ring in the new year? Or are you partying with friends well past midnight? Whatever you’re doing, it’s hard to believe it will be the start of a new decade soon!
With all the doom and gloom in the news it’s even more important to take stock of the year that’s just gone, celebrate with our loved ones and look forward to a fresh start in 2020. To get you in the celebratory mood, here are some fun facts about New Year festivities from around the world.
1. Avoid lobsters to be lucky
Some east European cultures are very superstitious about lobsters, especially at New Year. Because lobsters can move backwards, it’s thought they can bring a reversal in fortunes, so you shouldn’t eat them at this time of year. For prosperity in the new year, eat black eyed peas, ham, and cabbage. In Spain they eat 12 grapes at the 12 strokes of midnight and its bad luck if you don’t eat them all in time!
2. Fireworks to frighten off bad spirits
As well as looking pretty and lighting up the winter skies, fireworks are set off to frighten away any evil spirits that might threaten to spoil your happiness in the new year. Londoners aren’t taking any chances this year – they’ll be spending over £3 million on the official New Year’s Eve firework display!
3. Chuck a washing machine out the window
In South Africa, police have had to crack down on the tradition of throwing appliance and furniture out of the window as too many passers by were getting hurt! Apparently chucking things out on New Year’s Eve helps you to let go of the past (Italians also do it with pots and pans).
4. Water fights in Thailand
A lot of people in Thailand celebrate the New Year in the middle of April, as per the Theravada Buddhism calendar. The tradition is to throw water on each other to wash away bad luck, which some people take to the next level with water pistols for a full-on water fight!
5. Champagne or cider?
We think of a glass of bubbles as the quintessential drink for New Year’s Eve, but perhaps the more authentic choice would be a glass of Wassail, a cider-like punch. Holland’s traditional NYE drink is mulled wine - makes sense to have something warm, I guess! Unsurprisingly, Scottish people like to celebrate Hogmanay with whisky for a merry year ahead (and some sore heads in the morning no doubt)!
However, you choose to celebrate the start of a new year, have fun, stay safe and don’t overdo the booze (we speak from experience)! All the best to our readers and here’s to a - Happy and Healthy 2020 for all of you.