New Year's Customs and Traditions

[LadyFish]

In Spain they eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight (one each time the clock chimes) on New Year's Eve.<br /><br />In Japan some people eat long noodles to to wish for a long life.<br /><br />In Brazil people go to the beach to jump seven waves and throw flowers in the sea while making a wish.<br /><br />In Korea bell is struck 33 times.<br /><br />In some parts of Japan people eat noodles while listening to a bell start ringing and strike 108 times.<br /><br />In Venezuela people who want to travel take a suitcase and carry it around the house on New Year's Eve.<br /><br />In Brazil people wear white clothes in order to have good luck during the new year.<br /><br />In Colombia families dress a stuffed male doll with old clothes from each member of the family and then burn it, symbolizing forgetting all the bad things of the old year.<br /><br />In Japan they pound rice into a glutinous form using a huge hammer.<br /><br />In Ecuador people wear masks to burn on December 31 to drive away bad luck.<br /><br />Of course we have a couple of our own. Eating cabbage for a prosperous New Year and black eyed peas for good luck.<br /><br />A family that lives down the canal from us from Cuba had one I never heard of. We were going by in our boat with a group of friends one year right at midnight and we got a huge bucket of water dumped on us. I thought they were just pulling a prank. Come to find out, in Cuba they throw a bucket of water out a window or in this case a deck to rid themselves of anything bad that happened the year before.<br /><br />We all had a good laugh about it. They never knew we were beneath them. <br /><br />What New Year's custom(s) do you practice?

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

italian superstition; if you bury a silver coin in<br />the snow and then you find it the next day, you<br />will have a good year financially.

 

[KennyKenCan]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

Here in New York, we got that dang ball dropping thingy, D i c k C l a r k, although this year we get Regis Philbin, and we got Greenwich Village, which I will not discuss here on this forum.

 

[Stratosfied]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

Here in Brewton, the Blueberry Capital of Alabama, we have a 'Blueberry Drop', downtown on New Years Eve. They have a band and just about everyone shows up. At midnight they drop the blueberry from the top of the old theatre marquee, and then BOOM, they start blasting the fireworks for about 30 minutes.<br />At our home, we eat some Hoppin John on New Years day, and some Greens for the luck and prosperity thing. Happy New Years to all!

 

[bassman283m]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

About 20 years ago I was living in Chicago. The first 2 years I lived there, I was back home in Iowa for New Years eve. The third year I stayed in chitown. I was living on the far north side on the 4th floor in a 30's era hotel converted to crummy efficiencies. I had a pretty good view since all the buildings to the east of me were lower. I got a bottle of scotch and a six pack and spent the evening at home. As midnight approached, I opened one of the 2 huge windows in the outside wall of my apartment so I could listen to possible other celebrants. When 12:00 am struck, it sounded like a war zone, literally. Guns of all kinds were being fired all over the place including automatics. I heard at least one M16 on auto and a number of large calibre weapons. <br /><br />I pancaked out flat on the floor and belly-crawled over to the light switch to kill the lights. It went on for about five minutes and left me with a skid mark in my shorts that defied the best laundry detergents known at the time.<br /><br />I've heard they celebrate the same way in Detroit except they shoot horizontal instead of vertical. I assume the folks in Chicago were shooting vertical.

 

[gonfishn]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

In the 70s when I was stationed in Hawaii they would shut down the whole main drag in Honolulu and have a big party.<br /><br />Then we would stagger to Diamond Head crater where thousands would enjoy the different rock stars that would come to play...Best one for me was 1972 when Santana and Buddy Miles got it on for three hours..It was a smokn time literally if ya know what I mean

 

[ED21]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

In Baltimore they have 3 times the regular number of cops on duty to try to track down the folks that like to shoot off their guns at midnight.<br />They always catch a bunch.<br />Unfortunately what goes up must come down.<br />I always make sure to give the wife & kids a kiss. They are usually asleep by then.

 

[tylerin]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

Going Duck hunting w/ my son. I'll be getting up about the same time y'all are going to bed. Wife's not to happy

 

[KaGee]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

LF... Hope they didn't dump their bad luck on you!

 

[Mr.Ladyfish]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

LF... Hope they didn't dump their bad luck on you!

Actually the 'ol Bayliner/Force bit the dust a few weeks later & became a lawn ornament for 2 years. Never thought about that until now.

 

[JB]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

At the Hideout, we dine on black-eyed peas, collard greens and fried fish (crappies this year).<br /><br />Then we play poker until midnight.<br /><br />At midnight we toast all of our ancestors with champagne.<br /><br />We have many, miny, anshesters to toost. Banzai!

 

[KaGee]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

Welcome back JB!

 

[crab bait]

Re: New Year's Customs and Traditions

to puke in this little alley behind this little tavern..<br /><br />everyear ,, i always say i'm gonna put an end to this old tradition..