Kathmandu. Every December 31, people around the world gather to bid farewell to the old year and celebrate the new year. Parties and fireworks are common around the world as soon as the clock announces 12 midnight. But there are plenty of other traditional ways to welcome the New Year around the world, too. Many are strange and wonderful too.
At midnight on December 31, 108 bells are rung across Japan. This practice is called Joya-no-ken and is considered extremely auspicious. If you’re in Japan, you may see the bells ringing on TV or hear them on the radio.
As clocks across the world strike 12 at night, many people take to the streets and bang pots and pans to celebrate the New Year. The tradition is worldwide from the UK to Australia. Although it is believed that the tradition originated in Ireland. The reason behind celebrating such a tradition is to ward off evil spirits and negativity.
One minute before midnight on New Year’s Eve, people in Spain traditionally eat 12 grapes. The practice is believed to bring luck and good fortune for the coming year as well as ward off any evil spirits. Eating grapes on New Year’s Eve is also common in Latin America and Indonesia.
Brazil has a unique tradition of welcoming the New Year. On this day people eat lentils. According to belief, eating pulses brings happiness and prosperity to the house.
In Johannesburg, Africa, people celebrate the new year by throwing away things that are unnecessary to them. On this day people throw their old furniture out of their windows. The people there believe that this will make the whole year good.
Oceania is the place in the world where the New Year is first celebrated. Apart from this, there are some other small Pacific island countries like Tonga, Kiribati, and Samoa which are the first to enter the new calendar year. In these countries, January 1 begins on December 31 at 10 am or 3:30 pm Indian time.
Now talk about the last country to reach in the new year, in this case, some islands of America are on top. Baker Island and Howland, the uninhabited islands of America, wait among the last to celebrate the New Year. The new year’s knock at these places is on January 1 at 12 noon or 5:30 pm Indian Standard Time. Here people start celebrating the new year at this time.
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