Celebrate the Start of 2024 With These Time-Honored New Year's Traditions
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New Year's Eve is a time to reflect on the past year, embrace the present, and look forward to the year ahead. Folks all over the world have New Year's traditions they enjoy each year alongside family and friends—whether it's watching the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square, coming up with New Year's resolutions, or whipping up a traditional meal of good luck foods.
There are so many ways to celebrate, and many of them can even be done from the comfort of your couch. If you're not feeling up to attending or hosting a New Year's Eve party, you could always take a cue from Ree and Ladd Drummond—one year, they ditched their fancy New Year's Eve dinner plans in lieu of staying home and watching movies and football. That doesn't sound like a bad way to spend an evening!
For more great options, check out our list of classic New Year's traditions and New Year's superstitions to usher in 2024. In addition to sprucing up your last night of 2024, these ideas will also help you brush up on your New Year's trivia. You'll be enlightened by all the various ways to usher in a new year full of endless possibilities. And don't forget to raise a glass at midnight with one of the best champagne cocktails.
Clean Your House Before Midnight
In Japan, there's a New Year's tradition known as "osoji" or "o-souji" that involves thoroughly cleaning and tidying the house before midnight. This custom is rooted in the belief that cleaning one's living space helps to purify the home and welcome the new year with a fresh start.
Watch a New Year's Day Parade
Many people around the world like to kick off the new year by watching or attending a parade on the holiday. In the U.S., a couple of the most famous examples are the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, and the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia.
Write a Letter to Yourself for Next Year
This tradition is a gift that keeps on giving. It involves taking a moment to reflect on the past year, set goals and intentions for the future, and capture your thoughts and feelings in a personal letter to be opened the following New Year's Day.
Watch the Sunrise
In Japan, the tradition of watching the first sunrise of the new year is known as "hatsuhinode." This act is believed to bring good fortune for the coming year and many people make a special effort to wake up early and find a scenic location like a beach or hill to take in the view.
Eat Lentils
In Italy, many people ring in the new year by eating a dish of lentils. The belief is that lentils, which resemble small coins, symbolize prosperity and wealth for the coming year.
Have a New Year Movie Marathon
Looking for a low-key tradition to kick off the new year? Snuggle up on the couch with your loved ones and watch the best New Year's movies that capture the spirit and heart of the holiday.
Make a List of Resolutions
Believe it or not, New Year's resolutions are said to have been around since ancient Babylonian times. So, when writing out this year's goals, remember that for approximately 4,000 years, people have been working toward achieving their resolutions.
Jump Seven Waves
In Brazil, it's considered good luck to start the new year by jumping over seven waves. You get one wish for each wave, so be ready with your list!
Put Mistletoe Under Your Pillow
Mistletoe isn't just a Christmas tradition. The Irish believe that if you put a sprig of mistletoe, holly, or ivy under your pillow on New Year's Eve, you'll dream of your future love.
Bang Some Bread
You've heard of breaking bread but how about banging it? Families in Ireland have a New Year's tradition of banging loaves of Christmas bread against the walls and doors to ward off evil spirits and pave the way for a healthy and prosperous new year.
Carry an Empty Suitcase
Want to go places in 2024? Take a cue from the Colombians, who walk around the block carrying empty suitcases on New Year's Eve to bring a year filled with travel.
Smash a Peppermint Pig
Have you heard of the tradition of the Peppermint Pig? It all began in the 1880s with candy makers in Saratoga Springs, New York. To bring good health, happiness, and prosperity in the new year, place the candy pig in a velvet bag and smash it with a small hammer, then eat a piece of peppermint. This one will be fun for the whole family!
Host a Party
Sometimes the most fun is had in the comfort of your own home surrounded by friends and family! If that's your idea of a good time, throw a party to usher in the new year with New Year's Eve decorations, the best New Year's Eve drinks, and of course, exciting New Year's Eve games.
Get more New Year’s Eve Party Ideas.
Watch Fireworks
Across the world, fireworks are a central part of celebrating the new year. But where did the tradition begin? Well, historians point to seventh century A.D. in China where the big bangs were used to ward off evil spirits. You can find displays across the country to enjoy on NYE or light your own. In some cultures, different colors even correspond to various types of luck, including love and health.
Toss a Coin
Similar to throwing change and making a wish, many Romanians believe that tossing a coin in the river on New Year's Eve will provide good luck for the whole year. So, gather your pennies and bring on the good fortune!
Find Round Objects
Round items are all the rage on New Year's Eve, especially in the Philippines! Because the circular shape symbolizes money and wealth, it's the more the merrier! According to this tradition, you can wear polka dots, carry coins, and eat round foods like donuts, bagels and cookies to boost your funds for the next 12 months.
Carefully Choose Your First Guest
In Scotland, a tradition known as first-footing will supposedly determine whether your household has good luck or misfortune for the rest of the year. For prosperity in 2024, superstition says the first person to enter your home at midnight should be a tall, dark-haired male. He should also bring symbolic gifts like coins or black buns. It's worth a shot, right?
Watch the Times Square Ball Drop
The New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square has been a tradition since the early 1900s. While celebrations in Times Square date back to 1904, it wasn't until 1907 that the crystal ball made its big debut. Since then, the spectacle has been a staple of New Year's Eve celebrations, with hundreds of thousands of people flocking the streets, and millions watching from home. To learn more about this year's event, click here.
Kiss at Midnight
You may never have thought about where the New Year's Eve midnight kiss tradition came from. Some historians believe it traces back to ancient Rome's Saturnalia celebration. A raucous good time full of dancing, alcohol, and kissing galore took place during this festival. As time went on, German and English folklore romanticized the idea of a midnight kiss, suggesting that starting the year with a kiss would improve your endeavors in love.
Make a Toast
There's nothing like cheers-ing to the new year with a glass of bubbly. And it's not only modern-day folks who enjoy the tradition. The practice of toasting dates back to the ancient world, NPR reports, when people would often raise their glass to someone's good health. No matter how much time has gone by, there's nothing like toasting with those closest to you.
Play and Sing 'Auld Lang Syne'
This beloved Scottish tune features words written by poet Robert Burns in 1788, but it existed as a folk song even earlier than that, The Telegraph reports. Today, it's one of the most recognizable songs around the world—even if many people don't know the lyrics!
Take a Polar Bear Plunge
All around the world, people will be kicking off 2024 by running into freezing cold lakes and oceans. The tradition was started in Vancouver, Canada in 1920 by a group of swimmers who called themselves the Polar Bear Club. In the U.S., these events are usually held to raise money for charity.
Light Sparklers
Fireworks displays have long been a New Year's Eve tradition embraced around the world. Australia, Thailand, South Africa, Brazil, and many other countries ring in the new year with an elaborate fireworks display. Even if you can't set off your own fireworks, setting off sparklers is another way to welcome 2024 with a crackle of light. It'll make for a beautiful picture and an even more beautiful start to a new year.
Make Some Noise
It's not a New Year's Eve celebration without noisemakers! Pick up a pack of party horns for the whole family and make them even more special with this DIY tutorial.
Get Dressed Up
Time to break out that sequined suit that's been waiting patiently in the back of your closet! New Year's is the perfect occasion to wear your sparkliest, fanciest ensembles.
Bang Pots and Pans
Before there were noisemakers, people made their own joyful ruckus by banging pots and pans at the stroke of midnight. This tradition was once thought of as a way to drive away evil spirits.
Count Down to Midnight
Build anticipation for the new year by doing a 10-second countdown to midnight. When the big moment arrives, make some noise, share a kiss, or simply shout, "Happy New Year!"
Throw Water Out of a Window
In Latin America, one New Year's tradition involves throwing a bucket of water out the window to signify cleansing and renewal. What better way to prepare for a new year than by leaving the past behind you?
Whip Up a Bowl of Hoppin' John
If you have an appetite on New Year's, whip up a bowl of Hoppin' John. The traditional New Year's dish is comprised of peas, rice, and pork, and is said to have originated in South Carolina back in the mid-1800s.
Get Ree's Hoppin' John recipe.
Hang an Onion on Your Door
It might not look or smell the best, but in Greece, hanging an onion on your door on New Year's Eve symbolizes rebirth heading into the new year. As for January 1, parents are said to tap the onion on their children's foreheads to usher in prosperity for the 365 days ahead.
Wear White
Some folks in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are used to wearing white on New Year's Eve. The practice is rooted in the belief that wearing the color will attract peace for the coming year.
Choose Your Underwear with Care
Speaking of what color to wear on New Year's Eve, there are lots of superstitions surrounding the color of your undergarments when the year changes. Red may mean romance or luck, while blue is believed to foster good health.
Eat 12 Grapes at the Stroke of Midnight
Eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight is customary in Spain. With each chime of the clock at midnight, you have to pop another grape in your mouth—it's no easy feat! Each grape symbolizes a month, and successfully eating all 12 promises a lucky year ahead.
Leap Into the New Year
Have you ever seen someone standing on a chair at your New Year's Eve celebration? Chances are, they're celebration with a particular Danish tradition in mind where you literally leap into the new year at midnight for good luck. Why not give it a whirl?
Put Old Dishes to Good Use
Looking to get scale back on your dishes? There's no time like New Year's Eve. After all, another tradition in Denmark is to throw old or already broken plates and glasses against the doors of your loved ones for good luck. If you open your door on New Year's Day to a heap of broken pieces, it's a sign of being loved and cared for by many people!
Open Your Doors and Windows
Sure, New Year's Eve might be a chilly time of year depending on where you live. But opening your doors and windows at midnight is a way to let out the old year and welcome in the new, according to a tradition in the Philippines.
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