We are gearing up to launch our little experiment in mirth and madness tonight at midnight. Naturally, our first celebration will be that of the New Year, and we will be indulging in some interesting global traditions for welcoming a new calendar to our walls. You can learn more about our mission in the video below:
Looking to sprinkle some foreign weirdness into your festivities tonight? Here are a few of the more colourful traditions we dug up. We will be celebrating a few of these tonight, as packing them all in seems… well, a little tacky. Choose your own and join in!
- Burn a scarecrow to banish the ill fortune you racked up last year! (Ecuador)
- Use round things – they represent money and abundance. (Philippines)
- Drive around to the homes of friends and family and smash dishes on their front door after midnight – NOTE TO OUR FRIENDS & FAMILY: we will not be doing this, don’t worry. (Denmark)
- Jump off a chair as midnight hits for good luck. (also Denmark)
- Drop some ice cream on the floor. (Switzerland)
- Carry suitcases around with you, in hopes of bringing about more travel next year. (Colombia)
- Eat 12 grapes along with the 12 chimes of the clock at midnight. (Spain)
- Ring a bell 108 times to banish all human sins. (Japan)
- Throw coins into the river for good luck. (Romania)
- Bake coins into cake, but try not to choke on them! (Bolivia)
- Throw buckets of water out the window to drive away evil spirits. (Puerto Rico)
- Throw furniture out the window for some unknown reason. (South Africa)
- Make pancakes! (France)
- Throw buckets of water at each other, and smear one another with grey talc. (Thailand)
- Throw bread at the walls to get rid of evil spirits. (Ireland)
- Burn an effigy of someone who deserves it. (Panama)
- Eat seven times throughout the day to ensure abundance. (Estonia)
- Be the first to cross the threshold of a friend’s home – a tradition known as first-footing. (Scotland)
So many options, and only two New Years to book-end this project. Have fun, and share your stories with us. Happy 2020, all!
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